Take It Easy! Signs Of Stress At Work And How To Manage Them Better
The daily grind can be taxing at times and can affect your work in different ways. There are routinary, run-of-the-mill days, and other times, you are riding the waves of adrenaline rush. Pressure will always be there, but if you feel like you are dragging your feet more than usual, you have to look for signs of stress at work.
Several factors contribute to stress. But sometimes we are not even aware of it. Luckily, we list common signs you can use to help identify changes in their behavior. But before we get to that, let us first define what stress really is.
What is stress?
Stress is the body’s defense response against danger. Whenever we feel threatened, it manifests in different parts of us. Our bodies release chemicals like cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, which assist in quick responses to address it. But a temporary shakedown is different from living in fear forever. The difference lies in how quickly we address and manage stress.
There are two types of stress: the bad stress and good stress. Yes, there is such a thing.
Also known as “eustress,” this is the type of stress that bears all the usual symptoms: sweaty palms, elevated heartbeat, and the like, but without fear. Instead, it carries thrill and exhilaration, usually during a first date, a rollercoaster ride, or something exciting.
In this case, eustress is something not to worry about and actually good to have with your team. Eustress-rooted motivation is what drives employees to achieve their goals and grow in the process.
But if thrills and delight result in eustress, what causes the malignant type of stress?
Also read: Do You Have Return To Office Anxiety? 5 Best Practices To Ease The Transition
How do I know if I am stressed at work?
In the same vein as eustress, bad stress comes from an adverse reaction to the environment you are in. Situations like a terrible relationship with your boss, piling workload, or conflicts with your officemates are just some of them.
You can even carry bad stress over from your personal life. A fight with your significant other, difficult relations with your parents, or tragedies can contribute to it.
Now you may ask, “why does stress look different from one person to the next?” It has to do with a person’s coping mechanism. Stress can be overlooked if a person has the capacity to look past the stressors and focus on what is at hand. On the other hand, others drown in it. If you feel like you are the latter, check out our list of stress warning signs.
What are the 4 warning signs of stress?
Unlike “eustress,” the malignant type of stress can have long-term effects on a professional’s well-being. Imagine it to be something that is chipping away at you day by day.
Another thing we have to look at is that stress does not target a singular aspect of your entire being. Stress not only hits the physical parts, but the behavioral, emotional, and mental parts of you too. With that said, we break them down into four major categories to better understand how stress causes a ripple effect throughout.
1. Physical Signs of Stress
They say that external bodily reactions are the most obvious signs of stress at work. Depending on the level of stress, the physical aspects could manifest first or last. Examples of physical stress effects include:
- Fatigue
- Muscle tension
- Headache
- Insomnia
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Constantly prone to illnesses
2. Behavioral Signs of Stress
This category refers to the way stress affects a person’s behavior.
- Procrastinating tasks and missing deadlines
- Engaging in vices like binge drinking, smoking, and drugs
- Appetite changes
- Adapting more nervous tics, like pacing, shaking, and fidgeting
- Disorganized, disoriented, forgetful
3. Emotional Signs of Stress
It is not just mere crying in between breaks. Stress can have a person always on edge and moody.
- Constant mood swings
- Panic attacks or nervous breakdowns
- Depression
- Feeling overwhelmed or tired
- Easily irritated or restless
4. Mental Signs of Stress
It can be mind over matter for some, but for others, the matter overtakes the mind.
- Disoriented and disorganized thoughts
- Easily forgets small things or loss of train of thought
- Poor decision-making or judgment
- Adapting a pessimistic attitude
- Unable to focus on a task
How can you manage stress properly?
The only way to address stress is to find the root cause and resolve it as quickly as possible. While there are many ways to do this, we name some tried and tested ones.
1. Seek support from your supervisor
When it comes to matters like these, a conversation with your boss is the best bet. Aside from being your direct supervisor, your boss is the key person to help address certain concerns. Whether it be to decrease your workload or to offer a hybrid work system, opening up to your boss is a critical step for your working life to change.
This especially rings true if you wish to address mental health issues that may be affecting your work. If you have a difficult boss, you can also open up to a trusted key colleague or to HR. They can act as a mediator to your boss should there be a need to.
2. Respect your leaves
We all talk about asking our employers to do this for us, but sometimes we overlook this too. Once your Out-Of-Office email leaves your outbox, you are home free. Refrain from checking your work phone or work email while you are away. Respect your off days just like you respect the 9 to 5 grind. Your off days are your times to rest, to unwind, and to recharge. Once you do that, you get to set healthy boundaries not just for your company, but for yourself too. That way you can bounce back and be better once you return.
3. Open yourself up to changing your mindset
Unless the circumstances make it totally impossible, you can also try this out. VICE shares in their article about adapting a synergistic mindset. Doing so is not to actively counter stress itself, but to embrace it as an “opportunity to learn” and grow. This applies through its subcategories.
The first is the growth mindset, which transforms stressors as a way to increase skill sets and ability to cope. On the other hand, we have the enhancement mindset, which acknowledges the physical manifestations of stress as optimizers of stress.
As shared earlier, stress can also be good for you. So should there be areas you can apply this to, take the chance to switch your perspective. It can help you especially if you are looking to ascend the career ladder, where a greater role awaits greater responsibilities.
4. Fill your life with passion
Sometimes, stress can come out when we have no chances to release them. Be it a gym membership, learning a new instrument, or cooking at home, find ways to balance the non-work aspect of your life. Fill the gaps in your life with things that make you happy and fulfilled. Well-roundedness, after all, does not only embrace your career, but the other parts of you.
5. Seek professional help
When push comes to shove, reaching out to a professional can also help you in the long run. If certain mental issues and diagnoses affect your work life, a professional can best guide you on the coping mechanisms that fit you. There are several hotlines you can call or well-known professionals you can talk to if need be.
Stress is an integral part of life, but it can be toxic if it becomes malignant. Find your stressors out and address them immediately before it affects you. A happy work life must go hand in hand with a balanced personal life too.
Also read: Resignation Due To Mental Health? 5 Signs It’s Time To Leave Your Job
Still stressed? Time to #SEEKBetter!
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