The demands and pressure in the work environment are increasing, long working hours, the difficulty to reconcile work and family life, uncertainty about the job etc.. All these factors increase the risk of suffering stress.
Job stress is a type of stress that occurs in the workplace and can cause physical and mental discomfort in the worker who suffers it, progressively affecting the other areas of his or her life.
Causes of work stress
The causes of work stress are multiple and are related to high pressure in the work environment. Among the most common are:
- The high degree of responsibility, excessive task load and/or lack of knowledge about the tasks.
- Problems in organizing tasks correctly or high workloads.
- Monotonous or boring tasks.
- Unsatisfactory working relationships (which can lead to mobbing).
- Inadequate working conditions (light, temperature, workplace…).
- Lack of promotion and professional development.
- Insufficient economic remuneration.
- Lack of recognition and lack of clarity in the worker’s role and functions.
- Long working hours or difficult schedules.
Symptoms of work stress: from anxiety to tachycardia.
Among the emotional symptoms of work stress, apathy, sadness, lack of motivation, irritability, insecurity, bad mood, difficulty in concentrating and making decisions, forgetfulness and impatience are common.
Physical symptoms include fatigue, digestive discomfort and dysfunction, excessive sweating, hyperventilation, difficulty sleeping or poor sleep, headache, dizziness and nausea, tachycardia, and muscle tension and contractures.
At the behavioral level, some manifestations of work stress are substance abuse such as coffee, alcohol or tobacco, increased violent behavior, problems in personal relationships both inside and outside of work, absenteeism, and unhealthy and irregular eating.
The more signs of stress a person shows, the more likely it is that he or she is suffering from a serious work stress problem and the more necessary a consultation with a physician or clinical psychologist.
In terms of the psychopathological classification of occupational stress, the disorders that are usually diagnosed in cases of severe and continuous stress are Adaptive Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, Psychosomatic Disorders and Depression.
On the other hand, it is important to point out that work stress ends up being a problem also for the company insofar as it causes an increase in absenteeism, a greater number of sick leaves, a reduction in employee performance, lower productivity, a progressive deterioration in labor relations, an increase in the risk of accidents at work, an increase in customer complaints and a greater need for staff supervision.
Essential coping skills
Not all people approach work in the same way. First of all, it is very different to dedicate oneself to a profession in which one has been trained because it is something one likes to do, than to work in something that has no other interest than the economic retribution. On the other hand, having a position of responsibility can be a source of motivation and increased performance for some, while for others it can be an unpleasant burden.
Leaving aside painful life experiences that can make a person more vulnerable to stress, some variables have been studied that would be related to a better ability to cope with work stress:
- A resilient personality, which enables a person to actively cope with stress and protects against negative experiences, and is characterized by:
- Involvement or commitment is the tendency to get involved in all life activities with a desire to get the best out of oneself.
- Acceptance of challenges leads the employee to see opportunities for learning and developing new skills in the face of change, rather than perceiving it as a threat.
- Control, which is the conviction that one can influence the course of events and bring about positive changes in them.
- Sense of coherence, which is the readiness to face life’s problems on the basis of a meaningful, understandable and manageable perception of the world. This ability is made up of three factors:
- Comprehensibility is the way of looking at the world in a structured, predictable way and with an understandable explanation of the events experienced.
- Manageability is the degree to which the person perceives that he or she has the necessary resources to cope with the demands of the environment.
- Meaningfulness, finally, is the attitude that leads to seeing demands as challenges that deserve effort and involvement.
The higher the sense of coherence, the lower the perception of work stress, emotional fatigue and burnout, and the higher the level of physical and psychological well-being.
Overcoming work stress: more effective therapies
When the physiological symptoms of work stress prevent the maintenance of a normal rhythm of life, psychopharmacological treatment (anxiolytic or antidepressant, as appropriate) should be considered.
In cases with moderate symptomatology, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy is the best option. On the one hand, it is important to help the patient to reduce the symptoms he/she has developed, although the most essential thing will be to guide him/her to reduce stress in the workplace.
Some of the most useful techniques are time management (when the stress is secondary to the worker’s difficulty in adequately planning his tasks), decision making (when he feels unsure about what to do in each situation), training in social skills and assertiveness (when the difficulty lies in being able to express one’s needs, delegate or say no), relaxation (if muscle tension remains excessively high), etc. The clinical psychologist will decide, together with the patient, which techniques are best suited to the needs for change according to the patient’s difficulties and the nature of the stress.
It is important to point out that when the work stress is the result of non-compliance with the law by a colleague, middle manager or manager (in cases of mobbing, non-payment…), it is necessary for the affected person to consult an Occupational Health Unit or an employment lawyer.
When the problem is mainly the worker’s, the most reasonable thing would be to overcome these difficulties in order to become capable of facing the demands of the job with less stress. However, when the person is already totally demotivated or burned out (burnout syndrome or emotional exhaustion), it can be very healthy to change jobs; at the very least, to change areas or tasks.
When the problem is humiliating, aggressive treatment or treatment that does not respect the labor rights of the affected person, apart from reporting the case, it is usually highly advisable to change jobs.
7 Steps to Overcome Job Stress
According to the American Psychological Association, the most common sources of job stress are low pay, work overload, few opportunities for promotion, monotonous and repetitive jobs that are not challenging, lack of social support, or having no control over work decisions.
When work stress becomes chronic, it ends up being detrimental to both physical and emotional health, the latter being, unfortunately, quite common. This U.S. institution proposes seven steps to manage work stress:
Identify what stresses you at work.
Write down on a piece of paper, for one or two weeks, what situations create the most stress for you and how you usually act in these situations. Record your thoughts, feelings and information about the environment, including the people and circumstances involved, the physical circumstances, and how you reacted, e.g., if you raised your voice, if you decided to go for a walk, will help you identify patterns between what stresses you and how you react in each case.
2. Introduce healthier responses
Instead of trying to combat stress with alcohol or fast food, choose healthy options, such as relaxing or exercising, when you notice you are getting stressed. In general, regular physical exercise is a good stress reliever.
Also, find time to devote to your hobbies, whether it’s reading, going to music concerts or enjoying your family and friends. Always make sure to leave time to do the things that are truly rewarding to you.
Getting a good night’s sleep is also essential to better manage stress and recover from the stresses of the day. Get into the habit of sleeping enough hours, limit caffeine in the afternoon and reduce activities that stimulate you too much, such as going for a run or working on the computer, in the evening.
3. Set limits to work
With the current use of new technologies, it is easy to feel anxious about the possibility of being available on the Internet or cell phone 24 hours a day. It is important that you establish some limits between your work time and your personal life. This can take the form of not checking your e-mail from home in the evening or not answering the phone after a certain time. Setting clear boundaries between work and personal life reduces stress, especially that related to work-life balance conflicts.
4. Take time to rest
In order to minimize the negative effects of chronic stress and fatigue at work, we need a minimum amount of time to recover and return to our pre-stress level of performance. To truly be a recovery period it is necessary to get to ‘disconnect’ from the work activity when you are not working. Try to take your time to rest so that you can return to work ready to give your best. When it is not possible to disconnect completely, at least disconnect your phone and focus your attention for a while on non-work related activities.
5. Learn to relax
Techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing exercises can help release physical and psychological tension and therefore stress.
You can start with a few minutes each day to focus on a simple activity such as breathing, walking or enjoying the taste of food. Being able to focus on a single activity without getting distracted is a skill that improves with practice and you will be able to apply it at many different times and activities.
6. Talk to your boss
Engage in a direct and open conversation with your boss. The purpose is not to present a list of complaints, but to lay out a plan that can help reduce the stress of those situations you have identified so you can perform your job better.
Among the topics to discuss and include in this plan you can propose ways to improve your skills in areas such as time management, increase the aspects that make you feel better at your job (e.g., clarify what is expected of you, get more help and coordination with your colleagues, make your work more stimulating with challenging tasks, make small changes to your physical work environment to make it more comfortable), etc.
7. Get some support
Just as accepting help from friends and family can improve your ability to manage stress, perhaps your company has an occupational risk prevention program that includes a protocol for dealing with stress at work, where you can get information, advice and counseling.
If you continue to feel overwhelmed by work stress, it may be time to consult a specialist psychologist, who can help you better manage stress and make the necessary changes to reduce it to tolerable levels that do not harm your health.