Most stress from work is the result of many smaller situations that build up over time, although work-related stress may also be triggered by a sudden or unexpected event. There are a number of factors that can make you feel stressed at work, including poor working conditions, long working hours, relationships with colleagues, lack of job security, mismatch between the requirements of the job and your own capabilities and needs, too much or too little responsibility.
Both psychological and physical health issues area caused by stress at work. Stress may cause physical symptoms such as digestive issues, sweating, headaches, difficulty sleeping, backaches, and tiredness. You may become disinterested in sex, lack motivation, have difficulty concentrating, feel overwhelmed, irritable, experience mood swings and shifts in emotionality, as well as difficulty eating or eating too much. All of these can indicate work-related stress.
You cannot just eliminate stress from work completely. You must learn to cope with your work-related stress appropriately and properly. If you are going to have a job, you will have stress. There are three basic approaches to dealing with stress:
- Learning to change how you react to a stressful event
- Reducing the effect stress has on your body
- Changing the way we cope with stress
You need to get specialist help if you have tried to deal with your work-related stress but have not seen acceptable improvements. Getting specialist help does not mean that you are weak or that you are 'giving in', just that you have recognized a problem and want to solve it. When you talk to your health care provider, he will recognize the signs and symptoms of work-related stress. They can talk you through the origins and triggers. They will also teach you how to relax using special strategies.
If you feel that your stress is a result of being bullied or harassed then you need to speak to your company's human resources or personnel department. Being victimized at work is something that no-one should have to face and the good news is that the vast majority of companies now have policies in place in order to deal with this type of problem. You can take action against workplace harassment even if your supervisor or manager does not act against your tormentor, as there are laws to protect you.
