05-07-2022

How to reduce the level of stress at work?

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Prolonged stress in the workplace can lead to physical and mental exhaustion of any person. It lowers our immune resistance and performance, leads to burnout, causes somatic ailments, depression and neurosis. It increases the likelihood of cancer, stroke or heart attack. Unfortunately, we are exposed to stress every day and it is not possible to completely eliminate it. However, there are methods to deal with stress.

What is stress?

According to the Chief Labor Inspectorate

Stress in the workplace occurs when working people – employees and employers – feel psychologically uncomfortable with the conditions and / or requirements of work in a situation where the conditions and requirements at a given moment exceed their capabilities.

What happens to a person under stress?

The stress reaction is an atavism whose task is to prepare a person to react to a threat. For this reason, in times of stress:

all internal human systems are activated: circulatory, musculoskeletal, digestive, nervous, immune systems, the secretion of adrenaline, noradrenaline, thyroxine, and cortisol increases; it accelerates the heart rate, increases muscle tension, deepens and accelerates breathing, increases blood pressure, reduces pain sensitivity, accelerates metabolic processes, increases physical efficiency and strength
the person’s attention is focused on the threat (task), the person does not pay attention to other things in the environment (reduced attention), feels anxiety, fear, sometimes anger, anger or fear
a person is agitated, overactive, impatient, feels compulsion to act, and may even behave aggressively in a state of high tension.

Stress is a natural phenomenon – thanks to it we are able to digest and overcome difficulties. It mobilizes us to act and gives us adrelin, but with overload and accumulation of such stimuli, it starts to have a very negative effect on us.

How to deal with stress at work?

The most common stress factors at work are:

– qualitative and quantitative work overload

– qualitative and quantitative labor shortage

– working conditions

– unclear role played

– conflicts

– lack of support from superiors and colleagues

There are several solutions to improve your situation.

Change job – unfortunately, it often happens that we simply do not like our job but are afraid of changes. We have an internal brake against change – we are afraid of economic instability, risk, change. We do not appreciate our qualifications or we do not want to expand our skills. As a result, we are stuck in an environment that makes us unhappy and does not give us satisfaction.
Knowledge – another important element, which makes us uncertain about work and duties, is the lack of knowledge. We feel insecure about what we are doing. What to do if you have such an impression – the first step should be an interview with your supervisor and assessment of competences. Thanks to this, it will be visible where the competency gaps are and you can clearly define the development path. The Internet also offers a wide range of online training, webinars and tutorials on the YouTube channel.
Positive atmosphere at work – sometimes a small thing is enough to turn into a positive atmosphere at work, such as saying hello. If you have stressful situations or people that negatively affect your well-being, try to avoid them or minimize your contact with them.
Order in the workplace – “order on the desk is a spin in the head”. Chaos on the desk, chaos on the desktop in the computer, chaos on the calendar – all this automatically makes us feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of tasks. We cannot focus because our thoughts “jump” and we cannot concentrate. Order gives you control over the situation and in a crisis situation it is easier to find a solution when everything is “in order”.
Physical exercise – whether it’s a walk or 2 hours in the gym – is scientifically proven that exercise (recreational) lowers the stress hormone cortisol and triggers the happiness hormone endorphins. Thanks to being active, we allow our head to “turn off” for a moment and often distance ourselves from difficult situations.
Rest – many people work 24/7. Even on their days off, they reach for the phone, work late, sleep little. With this mode of operation, the body becomes simply tired and we get nervous faster.

Nowadays, the pace of work is lethal, we are overburdened, overloaded and always busy, and at the very end of our priorities we put our health. It is enough to implement at least one of the above points in your life and the level of stress will decrease and job satisfaction will increase!