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We all need a certain amount of pressure in our lives to make our work satisfying and help us meet our deadlines.
But too much pressure without having the chance to let off steam causes stress. Of course, what is stressful for one person may not be stressful for another. Some thrive on it while others crumble.
If you feel that you are always rushing about, trying to be in too many places at once, missing meal breaks, for ever taking work home with you, and never seem to have enough time for exercise, relaxation or spending time with your family, then you may well be at risk of developing stress-related problems.
Stress is caused by a wide variety of different situations, and so can also have a wide range of symptoms. I tend to divide these into physiological, psychological and behavioural symptoms.
Physiological symptoms caused by stress include headaches, migraines, stomach disorders, raised blood pressure, changing sleep patterns, muscle spasms, back/shoulder/neck pain, general malaise and an unwillingness to work.
Psychological symptoms can cause you to grow resentful towards your work, making it a place of anxiety, tension and the cause of irritability, low self-esteem and forgetfulness. It can even lower your sex drive.
Finally, behavioural symptoms can cause sufferers to becoming irritable, aggressive and withdrawn, and to stop communicating.
An affected person may show signs of changes in eating and sleeping patterns; they may drink and smoke more, and even start excessively self-medicating.
Of course, these will also affect home life, making them more “difficult” outside work, less able to cope with their family and maybe even neglecting their hygiene and personal appearance.
There is rarely any one single cause of work-related stress.
While sudden, unexpected pressures can trigger it, it is often the result of a range of stressful factors that build up over time. If they are left undetected and untreated, they can reach boiling point and cause a full mental breakdown.
Reader views (2)
Regular exercise and healthy diet certainly alleviate the symptoms of stress in that you get the chance to "let off steam" and release all that adrenaline. However, it does not tackle the root cause of the stress, which is cumulative both emotionally and physically. If you are in a job where unrealistic demands are placed upon you, and even when you discuss with your managers, little is done to alleviate that, then you will keep on feeling stressed as long as you work in that environment. Also, in these days of high unemployment, leaving a highly pressurised job is not an option for everyone.
- Yvonne, Doncaster, UK, 19/11/2009 10:54
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Stress does have that double edged sword approach, I watch people spinning too many plates and setting unrealistic deadlines. When one falls, the tention builds and can tend towards a downward spiral.
The positive side of stress is setting realistic goals, and not too many with good timelines. The most important ingredient is exercise & water, get a 45 minute walk or swim in at lunchtimes, and keep hydrated. Change the type of exercise to promote different muscle sets.
The bottom, enjoy life!
- Martin Mccabe, Upper Norwood, England, 19/11/2009 09:25
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