Causes and Solutions to Stress!!!

Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them.

Stress is not always bad. Stress within your comfort zone can help you stay focused, energetic, and able to meet challenges in the life.

While some stress

is normal, excessive stress can interfere with your productivity and performance. It could also impact your physical and emotional health.

Causes of stress at work

•                    Poor Time Management

•                    Fear/Job insecurity

•                    Pressure to perform and meet rising expectations but with no increase in job satisfaction

•                    Pressure to work at optimum levels—all the time

Signs of stress

When one feels overwhelmed at work, confidence is eroded and feelings of anger, irritability, etc. will occur. Other signs and symptoms of excessive stress at work include: 

•                    Feeling anxious, irritable, or depressed

•                    Apathy, loss of interest in work

•                    Problems sleeping

•                    Fatigue        

              •            Muscle tension or headaches

•                    Stomach problems/Ulcers

•                    Social withdrawal

•                    Trouble concentrating

Steps to manage workplace stress

Track your stressors: 

Make notes over a period of 2 – 4 weeks to track the sequence of events that led to the feelings of stress arising and how you responded to them. This would help you understand your stressors and decide on how best to deal with them.

Initiate positive relationships:
Be more sociable with your co-workers. When you take a break, for example, instead of directing your attention to your smart phone or tablet, try engaging your colleagues. Build a strong network of supportive friends and family members as this is extremely important to managing stress in all areas of your life. The more lonely and isolated you are, the greater your vulnerability to stress.


Take time off to recharge:
It is important to make out time to replenish and return to our pre-stress level of functioning. When stress is mounting at work, try to take a quick break and move away from the stressful situation. Take a stroll outside the workplace if possible. Physical movement can help you regain your balance. Do some exercise, (any activity that raises your heart rate and makes you sweat is an effective way to lift your mood), increase energy, sharpen focus, and relax both the mind and body. Take vacations when possible.


Eat Properly:
Eating small, frequent and healthy meals, for example, can help your body maintain an even level of blood sugar, keeping your energy and focus up, and avoiding mood swings. Low blood sugar, can make you feel anxious and irritable, and eating too much can make you lethargic. Minimize your intake of sugars, refined carbs, caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.


Get Enough Sleep:
Getting the right amount of sleep can help reduce your stress levels. Try to improve the quality of your sleep by keeping a regular sleep schedule and aiming for a minimum of 8 hours a night. Avoid stimulating activity and stressful situations before bedtime such as catching up on work.


Prioritize and organize: 
Create a balanced schedule. Try to find a balance between work and family life, social activities and solitary pursuits, daily responsibilities and downtime. Leave earlier in the morning. Even 10-15 minutes can make the difference between frantically rushing and having time to ease into your day. Don’t add to your stress levels by running late.


Plan regular breaks:
Make sure to take short breaks throughout the day to take a walk or chat to a friendly face. Also try to get away from your desk or work station for lunch. It will help you relax and recharge and be more productive.


Learn how to relax: 
Techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises and mindfulness (a state in which you actively observe present experiences and thoughts without judging them) can help melt away stress. Start by taking a few minutes each day to focus on a simple activity like breathing, walking or enjoying a meal. The skill of being able to focus purposefully on a single activity without distraction will get stronger with practice and you'll find that you can apply it to many different aspects of your life. 


Always keep your smile up: 
Smile, even when all around you seems down, try to smile, a great psychologist explains that "action seems to follow feeling, but in reality action and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not". As you focus on keeping the smile of your face glowing, the feeling of boredom/unhappiness will evaporate. But, a gentle sincere smile is what is emphasized not a forceful grin that quickly fades.

 

Kindly, leave your comments below on how this has been helpful to you.

                                                                                                              CREDIT: SMILE COMMUNICATIONS NIGERIA