Stress from work could affect our productivity and that is why How to cope with stress from work is here for you.
Do you deal with a lot of pressure and stress from work?
Do you get off work stressed out like crazy?
Then this is for you.
Stress isn’t pretty at all and nobody loves it, however, we encounter it a few times and we are just worn out, this article will help you know how to cope with stress from work.
In this article, we will discuss the symptoms of stress, sources of stress from work, and How to cope with stress from work.
Symptoms of stress
Stress can have a wide range of symptoms. Its symptoms could affect your mental and physical health. The symptoms could be physical, physiological, emotional, and cognitive. If you feel stressed out, then check out these symptoms if they relate to you, so you can tell which category you fall into.
- Physical symptoms: These are signs your body is going through Physical stress. Some of the physical symptoms include.
- Headaches.
- Muscle tension.
- Fatigue.
- Stomach upset.
- High blood pressure.
- Diabetes.
- Heart disease.
- Heart palpitations.
- Insomnia.
- Dermatological disorders.
- Physiological symptoms:These are signs your body is going through Physiological stress. The physiological symptoms of stress from work include.
- Anxiety.
- Depression.
- Trouble concentrating.
- Irritability.
- Behavioral symptoms: These are signs your body is going through behavioral stress. Some of its behavioral symptoms include.
- Increased alcohol use.
- Reduction in work productivity.
- Interpersonal relationship problems.
- Social withdrawals.
- Cognitive symptoms: These are signs your body is going through cognitive stress. Some of the cognitive symptoms of stress include.
- Changes in thinking.
- Cognitive difficulties such as trouble with decision-making and judgments
- Problems remembering things or concentrating.
- Negative thinking.
- Constantly worrying.
- Emotional symptoms: These are signs your body is going through emotional stress.
- Feeling overwhelmed.
- Frustration.
- Anger and sadness.
- A feeling of losing control.
- A feeling of helplessness and hopelessness.
Sources of work-related stress
Anyone who works or has worked before can definitely relate to the sort of pressure or tension we feel after a day’s job, a week’s job, etc. Here are a few sources of these pressures.
- Working long hours: Working long hours causes stress because it leaves you with little time to rest and relax and more time to work. It can cause fatigue and cause you to be frustrated.
- Heavy workload: Heavy workload is a veritable source of work-related stress because it can be overwhelming. It would make you feel like you can not finish what you need to do and this feeling can cause irritability, a feeling of losing control, or even anger.
- Tight deadlines: Tight deadlines are another work-related stress. It makes you feel pressured to complete tasks quickly and this causes you to do everything within your power even if it’s not done well. This can make you constantly worry and have difficulty concentrating.
- Job insecurity: If you are at a point where you risk losing your job or you think you would lose your job maybe because of a certain circumstance, you tend to lose your peace and that begins to stress you out.
- Problematic relationships with your colleagues or superiors: An atmosphere that is not conducive can stress you out. A workplace where you have problems with your bosses or your colleagues would be very uncomfortable and can stress you out.
How to cope with stress from work.
While stress seems unavoidable, there are so many ways we can manage or cope with it. Stress is bad for our health and therefore we must find a way to manage it. Below are a few ways to cope with stress from work.
- Create a pre-work routine: Most of us start our day already stressed. We wake up and we rush to gather ourselves and our kids (if included) before work and the whole rush stresses us out. The best thing to do is to create a pre-work routine, plan yourself before your day starts, and add good nutrition and you are just on the right track for the day and your work.
- Avoid conflict with your colleagues: Just as we stated earlier, Problematic relationships with your colleagues could be a source of stress. Interpersonal conflict would leave us stressed out and therefore we should try as much as possible and within our power to avoid these conflicts and if problems find us anyway, we should make sure to handle them properly. Avoid gossiping and sharing too many personal opinions.
- Deep breathing: if you do not know how to take a deep breath, then you have got to learn it as it is a powerful technique for coping with stress. When you feel stressed out or you feel your anxiety creeping on you, take a deep breath, inhale, and exhale continuously. Do it as many times as possible and see its effect.
- Listen to music: Music we all agree is a therapy for the soul likewise it could be a therapy for your stress. Listen to soul-lifting (uplifting) music (your favorite music would do), while you prepare for the day, if your work permits listen to music halfway through work especially when you feel stressed out or during your lunch breaks, and when you are driving home or taking a bus home listen to music again. Music has a calming effect and listening to one is a wonderful technique on How to cope with stress from work.
- Reward yourself for your achievements: When we work we tend to forget ourselves, we struggle to meet deadlines and match our workloads, we blame ourselves and stress out when we don’t do one thing right but we forget all the right things we had done earlier, or the achievements and results we have gotten. Rather than stressing yourself out for what is not going smoothly at work, reward yourself for an achievement you have just done. Rewarding yourself could be in the form of taking breaks, taking yourself out, or a little peace away from the work riots in your head.
Conclusion
Stress is an enemy of productivity and when we are not productive we still tend to stress out. However, this article is here to not let that happen again. How to cope with stress from work is a guide to managing your work-related stress.
Don’t wait till whenever, before you decide to learn to cope or manage that stress. Do it now!!
If you are seeking more tips to manage stress and anxiety, click HERE to read our article on “Tips for managing stress and anxiety”.
