Consider “stress” to be your enemy.
“It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle”
- Sun Tzu (The Art of War)Going by the above and applying the same to our workplaces, it is important that we identify and understand the various stresses affecting us. We can do so by being more aware and addressing the various symptoms we experience. By understanding what stresses are affecting us and knowing how they are impacting our lives will eventually help us to deal with them effectively.
Common Workplace Stressors
A few of the leading causes of stress at workplace are:
- Job uncertainty
- Unrealistic deadlines
- More overtime
- Changing skill requirements / threat of becoming obsolete
- Constant pressure to perform at optimum levels
- Fear of comparison and failure
- Irregular shifts
- Long-distance commute
- Interpersonal conflicts
- Lack of control on what one can Influence
- Poor ergonomics
- Inadequate physical fitness
- Unplanned or disorganized approach
- Procrastination
Also Read: The Clock is Ticking: Dealing with Stress at Workplace (PART 1)
Symptoms of Stress
Some of the signs of stress maybe:
- High irritability
- Frequent mood swings
- Unexplained headaches
- Apathy and loss of interest
- Feeling of being overwhelmed
- Anxiety and panic attacks
- Violent or aggressive behaviour
- Being excessively argumentative
- Prolonged fatigue
- High-level of absenteeism / frequently falling sick
- Multiple breaks at work
- Increased alcohol and nicotine dependency / other addictions
- Social withdrawal
Ill-effects of Stress
There are umpteen physical and emotional repercussions associated with stress like:
- Low morale and job satisfaction
- Lowered productivity and performance
- Frequent job changes
- Sleepless nights
- Loss of confidence
- Social isolation
- Poor physical and emotional health
- Toll on personal life
- Reduced fertility
- Burn-out
In the following fortnightly section, we shall see how one can cope with stress at workplace and strike a healthy work-life balance. Until then, stay tuned!
To be continued…
Article by: Kolla Krishna Madhavi
