Stress is what happens when you react to a situation, pressure or demands. With more and more demands on our time and the pressures of modern living we’re all likely to suffer from it at some point in our lives.
Almost 23 days a year are lost in each stress-related incident. Over 9.9 million days a year and costs UK businesses £3.7 billion a year in lost productivity.
Rush-hour traffic, working long hours, a heavy workload, performance pressure, meeting deadlines, confrontation and change, all create pressure and stress.
The impact varies from one person to another. What you find stressful might be motivating or challenging for someone else.
We are all affected differently, so it's important to understand your stressors. Know what's manageable for you and when you need to take a step back.
A certain amount of stress and pressure stirs you into action. It can give you a push to meet deadlines, help you deal with confrontation and provides the challenge to make work (and life) interesting.
Too much or for too long has a physical and mental affect, lowers productivity, reduces performance and affects the way you think and feel.
Impact of stress on your health
Stress is known to be a major cause in many health-related problems:
- digestive issues
- back neck and shoulder pain
- skin conditions
- disruption to sleep and insomnia
- high-blood pressure
- loss or gain in weight
- heart disease
- headaches
- depression
… these are just a few of the main symptoms.
It's one of the main reasons people end up taking time off work. Even less serious physical symptoms - lack of concentration, low energy levels, forgetfulness, being late and frequent colds can all be signs and affect productivity.
What are your current stress levels?
Manage your workload to reduce stress:
Work fewer hours. The longer you work, the more tired and stressed you become and the less productive you are.
- Set clear start and end times
- Focus on prioritising
- Take control of your workload.
You’ll be more productive when you finish at a set time instead of working until you’re ‘done’.
Set clear boundaries and expectations. If you often feel overwhelmed, know when to say no and set clear expectations with your boss, colleagues, customers and clients about how much you can do, what’s expected and when it will be done.
Take responsibility. You can't always control everything but take responsibility for your own work and wellbeing. What do you need to put you back in control and reduce your stress levels?
Be pro-active. When you find yourself constantly reacting to outside demands, you’re more likely to feel stressed.
Plan ahead. Prioritise what’s important, stay focused and avoid distractions.
Keep things in perspective. Take a deep breath and ask yourself “What’s the worst that can happen?” Too often you end up worrying or stressing out over the smallest things. As the saying goes ... ‘Don’t sweat the small stuff’.
Work within your own ability. Stepping out of your comfort zone creates a sense of challenge and achievement. However, constantly being expected to do things for which you have no skill, ability or knowledge leads to mistakes, poor quality and piles on the pressure.
Talk it through. Getting negative thoughts out of your head and into the open helps give you a sense of perspective.
- What causes you the most stress?
- What level of stress do you experience from a particular task or on a particular day?
- How does it make you feel?
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