Stress is a natural response of our organism to dangerous, changing or demanding situations that are presented to us. This response is thousands of years old and has probably accompanied us throughout human history.
However, what has changed are the dangers or threatening situations that we experience. In the past, the appearance of a sabertooth in front of us caused us stress: our muscles tensed, our heart and breathing accelerated and our vision focused on what could happen to us.
Today, the situations that our brain interprets as dangerous are very different. When this reaction takes place in the workplace, it is considered work-related stress, i.e. when our work, by its nature or quantity, or the interpretation we make of it, causes us stress.
Nowadays, work stress is one of the main reasons for psychological consultation, together with anxiety and depression.
First of all, it is convenient to differentiate between punctual stress and prolonged or chronic stress. Stress as such is a completely natural and beneficial response. As I mentioned before, it activates us physically and cognitively to respond to a difficult situation.
However, to produce that activation, our body has to make a great effort, for which it neglects other processes, such as the digestive system or the immune system. Consequently, if our body remains in this state for a long period of time, we begin to notice the effects of so-called chronic stress: sleeping problems, digestive problems, recurrent illnesses, tachycardia, difficulty concentrating and memory problems.
As it is a problem that occurs gradually, many people are slow to recognize and react to it. In addition, they often believe that it can resolve itself: “it’s just a bad patch at work, I’m sure a calmer time will come later”. While this may be true, more often than not, it will happen again if we do not have the necessary tools to recognize and deal with it.
Another reason why it is difficult to get out of this situation is the mentality that exists in today’s society that work is the most important thing and what must be prioritized, even if that means putting our well-being on the back burner.
What is the origin of work stress?
To some extent it depends on the person who suffers from it, and this is what we work on in consultation: improving the organization of time and attitude towards challenges, establishing self-care guidelines and learning to delegate.
However, most of the responsibility lies with the organization. Factors that generally trigger job stress are the absence of clear job descriptions, instability, overload or lack of work, unrealistic deadlines, lack of recognition of employees and physically unpleasant or dangerous working conditions.
When is it necessary to see a specialist?
Many times stress is due to a specific situation of overload at work. However, if the stress and anxiety are permanent, or are repeated over and over again, it is advisable to seek the help of a specialist in psychology.