Stress management - a conscious need / Stress management

What is employee stress?

- this is the body’s reaction to the influence of physical or psychological factors, for example, excessive stress or increased demands placed on a person.

Employee stress is a problem for companies, because it reduces their desire to work, interest in the result and quality of the work performed.

But stress is not always negative. Alternatively, a stressful state may prompt a person to discover a new, more comfortable and smarter way of doing things. Such stress is called eustress and it has a positive effect on the psychophysiological state of a person.

But often, stress is negative in nature. Such a destructive process is distress - stress associated with expressed negative emotions and having a harmful effect on health.

Thus, we can say that stress causes some people to win, and others to be defeated.

Causes of stress

Factors that cause stress are called stressors. Conventionally, stressors affecting employees can be divided into the following types:

Organizational factors:

As the business grows, so do the company's organizational factors, which can cause stress among subordinates.

Some of these factors:

biased wages;
ineffective communication between the manager and subordinates;
pressure from colleagues and supervisors;
unclear responsibilities of the position;
lack of organizational structure of the company;
lack of employee participation in decision making;
excessive management control;
improper working conditions;
lack of understanding of the essence of the result of the work of one’s position and company.

Individual factors:

Temperament, character and personality traits play an important role here.

Stress can be caused by various family, financial problems, changes in career and personal life. Different expectations of family members, loved ones, employees, and managers can cause negative feelings in a person, especially if he himself is not able to understand these expectations and meet them.

Nature of work related to factors:

For example:

monotonous work;
too active work;
exaggerated rivalry in the team;
unhealthy working conditions.

Extra-organizational factors:

Social and political problems, situations in the country, can also affect the psychological state of the employee.

Stress is good and bad
Signs of Stress
Negative behavior strategy
Drawing conclusions
Ask yourself
Everything will work out if...

Stress management is a conscious need

Stress is a reaction of the human body that occurs in response to the action of a stimulus, regardless of whether it carries a charge - negative or positive. The fast pace of modern life and the emergence of new needs lead to more and more irritants, and the load we have to endure increases incredibly. Getting used to living in constant tension, experiencing it again and again, we stop enjoying life. We are haunted by the thought: why is this happening? Unfortunately, we do not realize the impact stress has on our lives, and we do not realize that stress needs to be managed.

Stress is good and bad

Most people have unpleasant associations with the term “stress.” In fact, there are two types of stress.

1. Beneficial stress

, or eustress. To live a full life, everyone needs a small dose of healthy stress - this is the driving force in solving complex problems. Let's call this state the “awakening reaction.” To get out of bed in the morning and go to work, you need to fully wake up. And in order to achieve an optimal level of activity and work productively, a person needs an awakening reaction, or eustress (a small portion of adrenaline).

2. Harmful stress

, or distress, occurs when tension reaches a critical point when there is no more strength to fight it. This is the emotional state we mean when we say we are “stressed.”

Whether beneficial stress turns into harmful stress depends largely on the specific circumstances and individual resilience. An attack of distress can occur unexpectedly, provoked by a certain situation, but in most cases this is a “cumulative” phenomenon: at first the body’s resistance decreases, and then gradually fades away. If you do not pay attention to the situation, ordinary emotional discomfort threatens to develop into illness. However, this process can be stopped if you recognize the symptoms of stress in time and use all opportunities to resist its harmful effects.

Signs of Stress

Recognizing that a person is under stress is quite simple. The main sign is a change in behavior. The most common:

• increased irritability and inadequate reaction to the slightest difficulty;

• decrease in activity and, accordingly, a decrease in the number of successfully completed cases;

• frequent desire to argue and excessive criticism of things that were previously quite satisfactory;

• need for alcohol to increase self-confidence;

• constant despondency and self-pity;

• loss of control over the situation: inability to cope with many problems that require simultaneous and immediate solutions;

• undesirable body reactions, such as: rapid heartbeat, stomach upset, sweating, fever and skin rashes.

We tend to attribute these manifestations to the complexity of life. Considering it impossible to control a changing situation, we don’t even try to do it. Such arguments are also a clear symptom of a stressful state.

Negative behavior strategy

When under stress, we usually choose a line of behavior that we think will reduce discomfort.
Unfortunately, most often such tactics do not give the expected result. Typical lines of behavior.
• Escape

– ignoring the problem, unwillingness to admit its existence, even if everyone around says the opposite.

• Self-criticism

– obsessive thoughts about possible troubles and their consequences, reluctance to take any action to change the situation.

• Indecisiveness

– hesitation before making any decision, endless procrastination, lack of a clear plan of action.

• Delays

– reluctance to do the necessary work, delaying the moment and creating artificial obstacles.

• Looking for adventure

– committing reckless acts in order to escape from the state of depression.

• Emotional incontinence

– unjustified bitterness, excitement and anxiety, resulting in anger, sarcastic remarks or tears.

• Reclusion

– reluctance to take part in activities that previously aroused interest.

Such behavior does not alleviate, but aggravates the stressful state. Unconsciously trying to get rid of depression in this way, we only increase stress.

Drawing conclusions

We do not always realize that the discomfort we experience when tension increases is stress. And, unfortunately, it doesn’t occur to us that knowing what the signs of stress are, we can learn to prevent it.

One of the manifestations of stress is absolutely inappropriate measures to combat it.

The methods chosen in this case often cause us even more stress.

But we already know that stress is not always harmful. Beneficial stress activates mechanisms that help cope with seemingly hopeless situations. Harmful stress, on the contrary, is insidious and causes significant damage to the body. It is necessary to understand what stress is in order to learn how to manage it.

Ask yourself

Describe your reaction to a stressful situation by answering the following questions.

^Have you started to react violently to all sorts of little things?

^ For some time now, have you found it difficult to make even the simplest decision?

^ Do you feel constantly unexplained tiredness?

^ Do you feel like you've had too much pressure lately?

^Are you increasingly ignoring problems in the hope that they will go away?

^Are you putting off solving a pressing issue?

^ Do you constantly turn over a problem in your thoughts without finding a solution?

If you answered yes to most of the questions, you are showing typical signs of distress—something needs to be done urgently.

Everything will work out if...

? learn to distinguish between beneficial and harmful stress;

? recognize that harmful stress is a reaction to excessive tension;

? understand that lack of activity, escape from problems, self-criticism, irritability and lack of restraint in behavior are signs of stress;

? Realize that denial is not an effective way to manage stress;

? agree that ignoring the problem will not make the stress go away;

? come to the conclusion that uncontrolled stress will cause you even more harm.

Table of contents

Stress among industrial workers

In industrial production, the phenomenon of frustration often occurs. This is a specific psycho-emotional state of a person that occurs when it is impossible to overcome obstacles and achieve a certain goal.

Basically, people working at an industrial enterprise are physically tired and often cannot meet the standards set by management. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly compare requirements and human capabilities. This will help cope with the current situation and prevent the development of emotional stress and frustration in the industrial workplace.

Research

Stress at work today is well studied from a medical point of view, although in the future it should become the subject of both financial and social research.

1997

Location of the study: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (USA).

Results:

stressful situations at work increase the risk of musculoskeletal diseases;
The less ability a person has to change something in the work process, the greater the risk of developing heart failure.

1998

Study location: College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (USA). The results were published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM). Number of participants: more than 46,000 workers.

What conclusions were drawn:

those who find their working conditions uncomfortable spend twice as much money on medications and doctor visits and take sick leave twice as often;
More than half of the respondents complained of depression as a result of poor working conditions.

Almost all studies in this direction confirm the negative impact of work stress on the state of the cardiovascular system. It causes arterial hypertension and coronary circulatory disorders.

It is a fact. Workers who are at the lower levels of the professional hierarchy (in a word, subordinates) are stressed more often than those who are at the top of this ladder and are bosses.

How to deal with stress?

Most people face various stressful situations almost every day and intuitively try to deal with them in accessible ways. Some people cope with the consequences of their experiences with the help of yoga and meditation, others relax in a bar, and others prefer modern medications. Experts offer a number of fairly effective non-drug ways to combat stress.

Sports . The secret of sports is simple: during physical activity, “happiness hormones” are released - endorphins. By relieving stress in the gym, you throw out negative emotions, get a beautiful figure and a regular surge of good mood. Unlike alcohol, exercise builds long-term ability to resist stress throughout the day.

Trips . A change of environment is one of the pleasant ways to relax and take your mind off everyday stress and routine. Even a short trip, for example out of town or a weekend excursion, will bring a lot of new positive emotions.

Pets . Animals know how to support their owners in difficult times, calm them down and lift their spirits. It is no coincidence that they are popular among lonely and elderly people. Scientists have also shown that therapy using cats, dogs and other animals helps combatants recover from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Relaxation and meditation techniques . Yoga and meditation are in demand more than ever. Mastering the relaxation technique is not difficult, and the results will appear soon enough. Another advantage of meditation is that constant practice helps you develop the ability to abstract yourself in a stressful situation and not get nervous about little things.

Stress in the work of a lawyer

According to statistics from modern psychology, about seventy percent of legal professionals believe that they are most often exposed to stressful situations. Legal work is working with people who have their own individual characteristics and different characters.

In the work of a lawyer, it is very important to be restrained and attentive, because the fate of a person often depends on his internal state. Therefore, it is necessary to learn to control yourself and your psycho-emotional state.

Symptom groups

There are 3 groups of symptoms of work stress - somatic, emotional, behavioral.
Somatic symptoms include:

feeling of a lump in the throat;
unstable heartbeat;
compression of the chest, acute pain in this area;
indigestion and gastrointestinal dysfunction, abdominal pain;
frequent urination, diarrhea;
muscle tension, especially in the back and neck;
headaches, migraine;
skin rashes;
slight tingling in the tips of the fingers and toes;
vision problems, double objects.

Emotional symptoms:

frequent mood swings;
lack of concentration;
chronic fatigue;
irritability;
every second anxiety;
aggression towards people;
solitude in “your” world.

Behavioral symptoms include:

constant complaints;
indecision;
inattention;
decreased performance and performance;
evasion of responsibility, dishonesty;
absences from work;
problems sleeping or waking up;
overeating/lack of appetite;
long-term recovery after illness or injury;
abuse of alcohol, smoking, tranquilizers, sleeping pills.

Occupational stress, like other types of stress, has its own symptoms and can manifest itself in different conditions. In order to determine whether it is really professional stress, you need to know the specifics of its symptoms.

Signs of stress at work:

Physical signs of stress in the workplace: migraines, toothaches, heart pain, shortness of breath. Characteristic symptoms may also include increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, pain in muscle joints, digestive system disorders, increased sweating, irritability and fatigue.
Psychosocial signs of stress in the workplace: anxiety, bad mood with swings and manifestations of anger, apathy, depression, anxiety, feelings of helplessness and loneliness.
Behavioral signs of stress at work: poor appetite or excessive eating, anger, inattention, alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, self-isolation and refusal to communicate with others, irresponsibility, poor family relationships.

The symptoms of stress also have their phases. The first phase is characterized by a slight slight nervous overstrain, which gradually turns into the stage of irritability. Constant stress can go into a phase that can lead to a nervous breakdown, and sometimes to the development of a disease such as schizophrenia or mental insanity.

How to deal with stress at work, what approaches and techniques exist for analyzing stressful situations, how to learn to overcome the strong emotionally unstable factor of irritability and get rid of it? In the process of developing stress and its consequences at work, you should not ignore this situation.

In the modern world, you should adhere to priority guidelines in your professional activities. Recommendations for relieving stress at work by improving your routine:

Correct schedule. It is necessary to review your work schedule, analyze your daily routine, responsibilities and daily plans, taking into account the specifics and characteristics of work. You should teach yourself to perceive work not as a game of survival, but as a pleasant pastime, a hobby or a source of inspiration. It is important to find a balance between work and family, time for relaxation and responsibility for a certain type of work, which must be done exclusively during working hours.
Down with overload. The causes of many stresses at work are constant psychological discomfort and overload. It is necessary to divide the amount of work into groups and perform everything planned one by one without overloading yourself. It is important not to put off what can be done here and now until later, as fatigue will accumulate later, resulting in psychosomatic diseases.
Effectiveness of work breaks. You should take short breaks throughout the working day. During your lunch break, you should try to leave work, which will allow you to relax a little and continue your activities more productively.

This will lead to stabilization of the emotional background, and when communicating, it will help you remain calm, balanced, and get rid of prejudices about your work.

Taking a break from work will help you relax

Stress among education workers

The teaching profession belongs to the group of professions that are exposed to frequent stressful situations. Teachers need to know the basics of psychology, the psychological characteristics of schoolchildren in order to be able to manage their psyche and keep emotions under control when conflicts arise between children or colleagues at school.

To relieve stress, teachers are recommended to undergo psychological trainings, seminars and other events. A program of psychotechnical exercises has also been developed with detailed instructions on how to be calm when communicating with children, how to get out of a depressive state, and what behavior correction is needed.

Psychotechnical games have their own approaches to solving the problem of stress and help the teacher:

get rid of tension;
find inner harmony and freedom;
expand your professional self-awareness.

It is very important for teachers to maintain their mental health, to be calm and balanced in communication with both children and their parents, and with other teachers, and to find a source of inspiration and relaxation. Therefore, you need to be able to relieve stress and distract yourself from work, relax.

How to increase stress resistance

You can avoid and survive stress that occurs in the workplace by following these rules:

Watch yourself. What sensations come at the first stage of tension? Do you endure discomfort for a long time or start at a half-turn? What happens when you lose self-control? Answers to questions will help you know yourself, learn self-control, and develop protection against stress.
Find effective methods that can press the “brake”, stopping yourself. Leave the room, shut up, go to the window.
If tension occurs, it needs to be relieved by directing the energy to a pleasant activity. Water the flowers, drink coffee, wash your hands, chat with a nice employee from another office.
Find out which workflows are interesting and enjoyable. Make time for enjoyable activities every day.
During times of stress, it helps to concentrate on breathing, disconnecting from what is happening. Monitor your breathing until it becomes calm.

Affordable Solution

The listed methods of dealing with stress are effective, but not always available, especially when you need to get ready in the middle of the working day or try to fall asleep late at night, despite tormenting insomnia. In this case, calming and sedative drugs that have a mild normalizing effect on the nervous system can become a timely assistant.

One of these remedies is Valoserdin drops; it reduces irritability, anxiety and insomnia. Valoserdin has a calming and mild hypnotic effect, helps reduce excitation of the central nervous system and facilitates the onset of natural sleep. In addition to the sedative, the drug has an antispasmodic and reflex vasodilator effect.

Its action has been tested for more than one generation, and it has long moved into the category of practically folk remedies for functional disorders of the cardiovascular system, for neurosis-like conditions that are accompanied by increased arousal, irritability and anxiety, insomnia, and tachycardia.

Of course, it is impossible to completely avoid all stress and anxiety when living in a huge metropolis or even a small town. No miracle drug will make your life happy and comfortable, eliminating anxiety. Yes, modern means allow you to survive the consequences of stress and help support the body, but the task of learning to cope with all anxieties and experiences on your own remains the most important.

As an advertisement

How does emotional burnout develop?

Emotional burnout-stress in professional activity develops according to the following scenario:

The first stage is an increase in tension. A person changes his usual behavior, which affects all areas of life.
The second stage is stress. Loss of strength, low performance, loss of motivation, self-control, lack of awareness of actions.
The third stage is the reduction of internal tension. It’s as if the person awakens, habitual behavior and thinking returns, and the mistakes made are corrected.

The stages of stress manifest themselves differently for each worker, depending on the individual characteristics of the person. The scenario depends on the following factors:

frequency of exposure - some are exposed to stress once a year for a month, others - once a week, but for a day;
form of manifestation – aggressive behavior towards others or behavior without changes;
the direction of aggression - some people blame others for their troubles, and the second part blame themselves, invisible to prying eyes, “eating” themselves from the inside.

It should be noted that the stress mechanism works automatically, against human desire.

Preventing professional destruction is easier and better than treating stress. So, you can avoid stress at work if you follow these tips and rules:

change your attitude towards work and colleagues - build trusting relationships with management and colleagues, celebrate holidays together, respond to requests for help;
sign up for trainings that help increase stress resistance and learn to act in unforeseen situations;
break for gymnastics, tea drinking;
organize working time without overestimating your own capabilities;
increase self-esteem, believe in success;
find your own motivator;
do not take work home;
rest, get enough sleep;
learn to refuse those who take advantage of kindness.

If your job hasn't been enjoyable for many years, perhaps it's time to change? You shouldn’t chase money all your life; you won’t earn it all.