Do You Suffer From Workplace Stress? Here’s How You Can Tell and How to Avoid It
In a modern age where companies keep rising over and over and the demands for workers are skyrocketing, it is no surprise that more and more people are pushed into jobs that they either don’t want that much or don’t want at all. As a result of this rise, there are more people than ever over the globe who hate their jobs, wish to quit it for something better or just sick and tired of working all together. There are, also, some people out there that suffer from their jobs but don’t have any clue about it. The conditions they work in push them to be more productive but also cause them to have workplace stress that goes unnoticed until they are burnt out. That’s why it is important to know what is workplace stress, the causes of work stress, and how to avoid them.
What is Workplace Stress?
Everyone has a different definition of stress. To some people stress is going through an intense rhythm of work or work-related issues, for some, it means doing things that they would rather not, and for others, it can simply mean thinking about the future. No matter how different each of these explanations is, it can be said that they are all true, to a degree. Stress covers a vast area of a person’s life and can cause unnoticed damage that can harm the person’s psychological health over time. That is why every individual should know about the true extent of stress. A general explanation of stress can be given by a simple formula. Stress occurs when an individual is faced with a situation that is beyond their control, that exceeds their capabilities or expectations, and that embarks negative feelings in themselves, towards others, or in other situations. In a way, stress is one of the most basic and strong psychological reactions a person can give towards a situation that exceeds their resources or willpower. Thus, it can be inferred that stress isn’t a magical and evil entity but rather a reaction or psychology gave when faced with a negative situation. This is important as the first step towards fighting workplace stress off is knowing how to identify stress. Therefore, the next time you feel stressed in your workplace or in general, you should look inwards to yourself in order to find clues about the main source of the stress you are going through and see if you can attach it to workplace stress. Simply inferring from the definition of stress that we have come up with, then, we can say that workplace stress is a negative reaction that is caused by the conditions of your workplace, be it the physical conditions of the workplace, your colleagues, or your boss, not being paid enough or long hours of work. There are many areas where work can cause stress, that’s why you should investigate and question the conditions you are in first when you suspect having workplace stress. With that said, it is a good idea to dive deeper into these reasons that can cause workplace stress.
The Main Causes of Work Stress and How to Identify Them
As a key for identifying the conditions that one is going through, determining the causes of work stress is a really important step towards fighting these conditions. Like we have previously mentioned, there can be multiple reasons for work-related stress, but these can be categorized based on their roots. The first type of reasons are individual-based ones. These causes of work stress stem from the individual’s personal views on jobs, work relationships, psychological conditions or his/her general attitude towards work. Some people, for example, get stressed at work because they don’t quite enjoy what they are doing, thus creating a growing pressure to do something else resulting in stress. No matter what the problem is, in this type of stress it is obvious that the individual is the root of the issue. The second type is the colleague-related issues. These range from personnel that try to mob others around them to colleagues or bosses that don’t fit the individuals world views. Lastly, the issues can stem from the work conditions. These might be poor physical conditions, travel conditions, low wages or the lack of rights in the workplace. Whatever the reason is, one should pinpoint them and start working on solutions.
How to Avoid Work-Related Stress
After determining the causes of work stress one goes through, the next step is finding a reasonable solution to these causes. We should remind you that each situation is different from the other and needs to be taken care of differently as well. And also, not all work-related stress issues should get you to quit your job, as most of them can be fixed if dealt with care. The first thing one should do is to open up about his/her problems to the necessary staff/friends or colleagues. Most of the time, people around us can see the solutions better than we can as they are not affected by the situation and can make unbiased decisions. This is why you should talk to your company’s HR or your friends/colleagues before taking action. Listening to their ideas and opinions should give you a clear picture of the situation combined with your take on it. Afterward, it’s a process of coming to a conclusion and executing the solution. If the problem has a fix that can be done without sacrificing too much on your part, then go that route but if there isn’t, then maybe it’s time for jumping on another train for you.