Stress management at work

This article will help you to understand the stress management at workplace and how to cope with it

Behaving assertively can go a long way to helping you deal with stress.  However, as discussed in the last few pages even the most assertive person will sometimes feel under too much stress and will need to manage that stress.

What is stress?

Stress is the response of the body to any demand placed upon it.  This response is involuntary; we have little conscious control over it.

Is stress always bad?

Many actors and public speakers say that they always feel nervous or stressed before a performance and that this helps them to perform at their best.  If they were totally relaxed, they would not give such a good performance.  You may have had this experience before an exam or an important sports event.  If you are not keyed up or stressed enough, you will not give your best performance.  So, too little stress can be a problem as can too much stress.  S

However, most people would agree that if they have a problem, it is in the area of too much stress, rather than too little.  Part of the problem lies with our automatic response to stressors.  For hundreds of generations our ancestors evolved in hunter/gatherer situations where stress was likely to come in the form of being confronted by a large wild animal or a rival, armed group of hunters.  The response that early humans evolved is called the ‘fight or flight response’.  In fact, we have it in common with many animals, so it probably is a characteristic that evolved before we could be considered human.  Our ancestors had to make a quick decision as to whether they would stand and fight or turn and run away.  Either decision required the same bodily responses.  The mind becomes more alert, hormones (particularly adrenaline) are released and the involuntary nervous system sends messages to various parts of the body so that the following changes occur:

• heart beat speeds up
• breathing rate speeds up
• the liver releases sugar to provide energy
• blood clotting ability increases in preparation for injury
• muscles tense ready for action
• blood is diverted to the muscles
• sweating increases to cool the body.

We are then ready to fight with all our strength or run away as fast as possible.  Within a short period of time the crisis will be over and (if we are still alive) the tension will be released and our bodily functions will return to normal.

However, in a modern workplace, it will rarely if ever be an appropriate response to fight to the death or run away.  So the tension in the muscles is not released and the stress may stay long after the event, slowly dissipating over time.  Frequently, another stressful event will occur before you have completely recovered from the first and this will have an accumulative effect.  These events may not be major but, their sheer number may be the problem.  Have you ever gone home at the end of the day feeling extremely tired and stressed, but not being able to put your finger on any major reason for feeling like that?  Rather you have experienced a series of niggling problems, each of minor importance in itself.

Stress tolerance

Not everyone reacts to stress in the same way.  So there can be no hard or fast rules about what is too much stress in the workplace.  Some people find tight deadlines exciting and enervating, while others find them so stressful that they feel ill.  That is why you find particular personality types attracted to particular jobs.  However, few of us have the stress tolerance levels of fighter pilots or formula one racing drivers!

Long term stress

If you allow stress levels to build up in your body as shown on Figure 1.2, you will start to show signs of chronic stress which will lead to decreased productivity.  The symptoms of chronic or long-term stress vary between different individuals, but include the following:

 

 

Of course no one would display all of these symptoms and many of them can also be due to other causes.  However, if you have a number of them over time, this may indicate stress.  In terms of physical symptoms, people tend to get particular clusters of symptoms.  Some people suffer headaches and muscle tension while others feel nauseous and so on.

External Stressors

These can be further divided into physical stressors and psychological stressors.

• Physical stressors in the workplace include:
• extremes of temperature
• physical or chemical hazards
• excessive noise
• vibration
• dust and fumes
• inadequate lighting
• inadequate ventilation
• isolation
• insufficient/inadequate physical resources
• Psychological stressors include:
• work overload or underload
• unrealistic deadlines
• role ambiguity
• role conflict
• lack of involvement in decision making
• lack of career opportunities.
• changes in working conditions

Most people have experienced work overload at some time and can understand that it is stressful.  However, being given too little to do can also be stressful.  It can lead to boredom and/or a feeling that your skills are not being appreciated.

Role ambiguity occurs when someone is unsure about what exactly is expected of him or her.  Workplaces that do not have detailed job descriptions are more likely to suffer from this.

Role conflict occurs when role ambiguity is not sorted out and the person becomes distressed by the differing expectations and perceptions of different managers and staff.

Feelings of powerlessness brought on by lack of participation in decision making can also be stressful.  It can lead to low self-esteem, low motivation and lack of commitment to decisions and organisational goals.

Lack of career opportunities or feelings of inequity can also be stressful.  People who are over promoted and unable to cope with their new positions are also likely to suffer from stress.

If change in the workplace happens too rapidly, or without adequate warning and preparation, this can also lead to a stress response.  If this is combined with other changes happening in a person’s life it can lead to stress induced illness.

Characteristics of Type A and B personalities

Research has indicated that Type A people do experience considerably more stress than Type B’s.  They tend to:

• work long hours
• take work home with them
• take on too much work (suffer from work overload)
• constantly set themselves higher and higher standards of productivity
• get frustrated with their work situation or irritated with the efforts of others.

Early research suggested that all Type A’s had a higher risk of physical illness, particularly heart attack than did Type B’s.  However, more recent studies indicate that it is not so much impatience that is linked to heart problems, but anger and hostility.

A leading medical researcher stated that: “Being a workaholic, being in a hurry, interrupting people are not necessarily bad for your heart.  What is bad is if you have high levels of hostility and anger, and you don’t bother to hide it when dealing with other people” (Lincoln Journal, 1989, 4).

 Not all Type A people display aggressive behaviour or outbursts of anger.  However, as stated earlier in this section, if anger is a problem for you, consider undertaking an anger management or assertiveness training course.

Many of the Type A characteristics are actually valued in the workplace.  The saying if you want something done quickly, give the job to a busy person is a tacit recognition of the value of  Type A people.  These people tend to be promoted and are seen as successes.  However, they can become burnt out if they do not make some effort to control their stress.  Many of the stress coping mechanisms presented in the next part of this section may help to tone down excessive Type A behaviour.

Coping with stress

Dealing with stress can be divided into two major sections:

1. Eliminating or reducing the external stressors
2. Changing the way you react to stressors.

Eliminating or reducing external stressors

Depending on the amount of power you have in your organisation, there may be a limit to your ability to eliminate or reduce external stressors.  You may be able to put submissions to your manager regarding environmental issues (noise, temperature, dust etc.) or there may be practical things you can do in your own work area.

If you feel that work overload is an issue causing you stress, there are a number of things you can do.  Firstly, consider delegating some of your work to people who report to you.  Sell them on the benefits, they are gaining more experience, it will look good on their Resume etc.  However, the ultimate responsibility will still lie with you.

Another alternative would be to discuss the situation with your manager.  Prepare well, have plenty of facts and figures at your fingertips, be pleasant but assertive.  It may be that it is possible to redistribute some of your work or renegotiate your deadlines.

If neither of the above options are possible for you or they form only a partial solution, you should then work on dealing with the stress.  You have already covered goal setting.  Having clear goals and timelines can help you feel more in control and more organised.  Involve other members of your team in decision making, everything does not need to rest on your shoulders.  Manage your time efficiently, so that you can get more done.  This important skill is dealt with in detail under Setting and meeting your own work priorities.

Changing your reaction to stressors

Whatever is causing your stress, there is much you can do to cope with it and reduce its impact on your life.  These coping mechanisms include:

• positive self-talk
• relaxation exercises
• meditation
• diet
• exercise
• humour
• balanced lifestyle.

Positive self-talk

The American psychologist, Albert Ellis, was the first to publish the theory that the way we think about an event (our self-talk) has a major effect on the way our body reacts and the amount of stress we feel.  It is now realised that this mind-body connection is so important that it has a profound effect on our health.  Ellis used the ABC model to illustrate this effect.

Activating event

You arrive late for work to find an ambulance outside and when you rush in, your manager is there with a crowd of people, including ambulance officers, gathered around someone lying on the floor.  Your manager turns to you and says:

“Where the hell have you been?  There’s been an accident in your area and Jo Smith (who reports to you) has been hurt.” 

By now they have Jo on a stretcher and you accompany him to hospital in the ambulance.  On the way to the hospital, you find out from the ambulance officer that it is not as serious as it looks, Jo will be fine.

Belief or self-talk about the activating event

You think about how angry your boss sounded.  Did the accident happen because you were not there?  You do have a good excuse, but who will care?  Will you be legally liable?  Will you lose your job?  Will you ever get another job with this on your record?

What if the ambulance officer is wrong?  What if Jo is really seriously injured and it’s your fault?  What if he dies?

 

Consequent feelings or emotions

Anxiety, fear, guilt and stress.  These feelings are not a result of the incident itself – either the accident or your manager asking where you had been.  They are a result of your negative self-talk.

When the ambulance officer told you that Jo was not badly hurt, you could have thought – What a relief, thank goodness he’ll be OK.  I’d better phone work as soon as we get to the hospital, to stop them all worrying.  Won’t everyone be relieved.  I wonder how it happened?  I’ll have to explain later about my car breaking down on the way to work and then how my phone battery went flat.  The boss will understand.  Still, that’s three things gone wrong today, so I guess that should be it.  I must surely be in for a bit of good luck by now!

The resulting emotion would be relief that things were not as bad as they could have been.

The first reaction was a form of negative self-talk called catastrophising.  This is a form of thinking that has people constantly concerned with the ‘what ifs’ in life.  What if the plane crashes?  What if I lose my job?  What if I can’t pay the mortgage?  What if the super fund goes bust?  I’ve got a headache, what if it’s a brain tumour?

Catastrophising is not the only form of negative self-talk.  There are many others, for example:

Shoulds – this is one of the most common forms of negative self-talk.  It involves having a list of inflexible rules about how you and others should behave.  When others do not live up to your ‘shoulds’, you become angry and upset.  When you do not live up to your ‘shoulds’, you turn the anger on yourself and tell yourself that you are worthless, hopeless, stupid etc. and this has a damaging affect on your self esteem, as well as increasing your stress levels.  Some of the most common ‘shoulds’ include:

• I should never make mistakes.
• I should be the perfect partner, lover, friend, parent, child, worker, manager etc.
• I should be able to quickly find the answer to every problem.
• I should never be angry, upset or jealous.
• I should never be tired or sick.

Tunnel vision – this involves focussing on only one aspect of a situation to the exclusion of everything else.  For example, you and your team have been congratulated by senior management for a recent project that you have completed to a far higher standard than was expected.  One manager points out that you went slightly over budget.  You go home brooding about this criticism, feeling depressed and anxious about what they think about your ability to manage a budget.  All the praise is forgotten.

 

Overgeneralisation – this happens when you draw broad conclusions from a single incident or piece of evidence.  For example, your first attempt at reaching a team decision by consensus does not work, so you assume it will never work and should not be tried again.  Your flight interstate is delayed and you miss the first part of an important meeting, so you never use that airline again – you brand it as unreliable.

It is easy to see how these distorted ways of thinking can lead to negative feelings and stress.  Often the self-talk you use is so automatic that you are unaware of it.

Albert Ellis went on to point out that stress levels can be reduced by getting rid of negative, irrational self-talk and substituting more rational thinking.  He suggested adding a D & E to the ABC.

Dispute or question the irrational belief.  Was the boss really that mad at me?  He was probably just anxious about Jo.  The accident probably had nothing to do with me being late.  It could have happened whether I was there or not.

There are two types of effects:

• the cognitive or mental effect describes the answer you get from disputing the belief
• the behavioural effect describes how you feel afterwards.

Effect (cognitive)

He’ll have calmed down by the time I get back to work.  He’ll understand about the car breaking down and the phone not working. After all, it could happen to anyone.

Effect (behavioural)

You feel less stressed, anxious and guilty.

In any situation where you feel stressed and realise you are prone to use negative self-talk, work through the ABCDE model and deliberately substitute more positive, rational self-talk.  You can also use it in anticipation of a situation that you think might be stressful.

Relaxation techniques and meditation

Another method you can use to reduce your stress levels is relaxation.  Stress causes muscles to tense and eventually ache.  Relaxation techniques concentrate on relieving that muscular tension and meditation helps to rid the mind of stressful thoughts.

Meditation can be used as a stand-alone therapy for stress.  It is most frequently practised in a sitting position and involves concentrating on something such as your breathing, a candle flame, a repetitive sound etc. so that other thoughts are blocked out.  It is not easy at first, but the benefits are enormous if you persevere.  People who practise meditation, on a regular basis, have been found to have lower blood pressure, less illness and are generally much healthier, happier and contented people.  There are a number of self-help books to get you started with meditation, but many people have more success if they join a class or meditation group to get them started.

Relaxation techniques often involve an element of meditation.  They range from simple, short exercises that you can do at your desk or workstation to quite long procedures involving listening to tapes and lying on the floor.  Most require you to progressively tense and then relax one muscle group after another, until all the tension has gone from your body.  Some ask you to visualise a beautiful tranquil place, while others have you concentrate on your breathing.  Again, self-help books and tapes are available, but it may be worthwhile joining a class in order to master the technique more quickly.

Diet

The quality of your diet may be contributing to or alleviating your stress levels.  Most people know that a healthy diet is a varied one.  Try to eat many different types of foods every day, with the emphasis on fresh fruit and vegetables, especially salads.  Mixed grains, lean meat, fish and dairy products are all fine in moderation.

Some other specific things you can do include:

Avoiding or at least cutting down on caffeine found in coffee, tea and many soft drinks.  If you have a high intake of caffeine, it will be adding to the stress levels of your body.  However, it is addictive and you should reduce your intake slowly to avoid withdrawal symptoms such as headaches.  Try substituting with herbal teas, decaffeinated coffee or drinking more water.

Avoiding products containing white sugar or flour.  They do not provide you with any nutrients and use up vitamin B in your body as you digest them.

Reducing or minimising salt intake.  In many people high salt intake can result in high blood pressure.

Having only a moderate intake of alcohol.  One or two glasses of wine per day is the daily intake recommended by most doctors.

Avoiding smoking and other addictive substances as they add to the stress your body is under.

Exercise

If stress leads to a fight or flight response, the ideal antidote is to take flight – run, power walk, jog, swim or cycle.  They can all help to relieve the symptoms of stress.  Aerobic exercise of any kind will help, although for some people competitive sports can add to stress.  It is probably best to keep to non-competitive activities if stress reduction is your main aim.  Of the non-aerobic forms of exercise, yoga can also be extremely helpful in reducing stress.

Chronic stress reduces productivity, you cannot perform to your best.  However, if you try a combination of these methods to cope with stress, you are likely to find that you feel better and that your personal performance at work will improve.  You will find that no matter what the circumstances or work conditions are, you will consistently perform better and feel less stressed.

Humour

Humour can be a great stress reliever.   This partly involves not taking yourself or things too seriously.  When a situation becomes tense, a joke can often relieve that tension.  When you get home, consider unwinding by watching your favourite comedy.  Almost everyone at some time has experienced the healing power of laughter.

A Balanced Lifestyle

All of the coping mechanisms suggested so far, if implemented, would amount to having a balanced lifestyle.  This would mean that you would move from alleviating  the symptoms of stress to preventing those symptoms from occurring in the first place.  If your life is balanced – not too much work, time for things that are important to you and you take care of your physical and mental health, you will find that stress is rarely a problem for you.  Part of this is feeling that you are in control of your life.  Feelings of lack of control have been identified as major causes of stress.  Managing yourself and setting personal goals are about achieving that feeling of control.

Remember that stress is one of the major effect creator in your workplace life. So be aware of it. People always stress out, some people know how to manage. Be the one.