Mental Health Awareness Month
Stress Less, Achieve More: Effective Interventions for Workplace Stress.
It will come as no surprise that work stress is one of the top sources of stress for Americans. In fact, 61% of American professionals report "burning out" from their work stress. When stress starts to impact your performance, health, and personal life, it is time to consider ways to reduce that stress.
Common Causes
What warrants a stressful situation varies by individual, but unhealthy levels of work stress can occur when a combination of any of these factors exceeds an individual's capacity to cope.
- Heavy expectations: Excessive workload, few opportunities for growth, work that is too challenging or not challenging enough, lack of autonomy, unclear expectations, tight deadlines, changes in duties, job insecurities, email, phone calls, and meetings are frequent causes of stress.
- Environmental factors: Changes in management, lack of social support, relationships at work, discrimination, harassment, and an organizational culture that encourages individuals to push through unhealthy levels of work stress can contribute to work stress.
- Leadership styles: Micro-management, ineffective communication, and management values that differ from employees' values may also cause tension and stress.
Common Symptoms
Just as workplace stress causes can vary for everyone, so can the physical and/or mental symptoms.
- Psychiatric symptoms: Increased irritability, anger, anxiety, insomnia, disinterest, depression, decreased attention and focus, and mood swings may occur. Frustration tolerance may decrease. Withdrawal from others and increased use of alcohol or other substances to help manage stress are common.
- Physical symptoms: Hypertension, chest pain or tightness, a weakened immune system, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, upset stomach, and abdominal pain are not uncommon. Difficulty losing weight and fatigue can also occur, as can headaches and migraines.
All these factors can result in changes in your ability to function, increased sick days and absences, decreased creativity and ability to initiate projects, and decreased work performance.
Practical Strategies
Though stress from work can feel overwhelming, there are strategies you can use to help.
- Track your stress. Knowing which aspects of your day cause the most stress can help determine the right interventions.
- Develop healthy ways to balance stress while at work. Take short breaks during the day. Break larger projects into smaller pieces. Delegate responsibility. Schedule more difficult tasks at the start of the day when you have more energy.
- Adjust the work environment. Incorporate nature into the workday. Include plants in the office, walk outside, and get sunlight exposure.
- Seek support. If expectations aren't clear, ask for clarification. Mindfully develop relationships with co-workers. Ask human resources about employee counseling programs. Counseling outside of work can also be helpful.
- Develop a work-life balance. When the workday is done, focus on your personal life. Pick up a new hobby or skill, increase exercise, and spend time with others outside of work.
Recognizing the causes and symptoms of work stress and employing interventions is not always easy, but it can improve one's mental and physical health and quality of life.