What is stress?
Stress is the body’s natural response to pressure. This pressure can originate from any life situation or event – and the associated response can be physical or emotional. Even positive life changes such as a promotion, purchasing a new house, or the birth of a child can produce stress.
Symptoms of stress
The symptoms associated with stress vary from person to person. Continued high-stress levels can seriously impact your employee’s physical and emotional health. Therefore, your organisation must tackle stress in the workplace and effectively support your workforce.
Symptoms of stress will often accumulate until the individual is forced to take notice of them. To help recognise when your employees may be struggling, we have provided a list highlighting some of the common symptoms associated with stress:
- Anxious, nervous and afraid
- Reduced focus and concentration.
- Lack of confidence.
- Mood swings.
- Gaining or losing weight.
- Increased fatigue.
- Increased reliance on alcohol and substances
These issues are not exclusively work-related – employees may experience them because of external factors. However, regardless of the source, stress can affect every aspect of the individual’s life: both personal and professional.
What you can do to address stress
If you’re stressed, whether by your job or something personal the first step to feeling better is to identify the cause.
Some of the keys to good stress management are building emotional strength, being in control of your situation, having a good social network, and adopting a positive outlook.
Try these 10 stress-busting suggestions:
Be active
Exercise won’t make your stress disappear, but it can reduce some of the emotional intensity that you’re feeling, clearing your thoughts and letting you deal with your problems more calmly.
Take control
If you think you cannot do anything about your problem, your stress can get worse.
That feeling of loss of control is one of the main causes of stress and lack of wellbeing.
The act of taking control is in itself empowering, and it’s a crucial part of finding a solution that satisfies you and not someone else.
Connect with people
A good support network of colleagues, friends and family can ease your work troubles and help you see things in a different way.
The activities we do with friends can help us relax and relieve stress.
Talking things through with a friend may also help you find solutions to your problems.
Read about 5 steps to mental wellbeing, including the benefits of connecting with other people.
Have some “me time”
Many of us work long hours, meaning we often don’t spend enough time doing things we really enjoy.
It’s important to take some time for socialising, relaxation or exercise.
You could try setting aside a couple of nights a week for some quality “me time” away from work.
Challenge yourself
Setting yourself goals and challenges, whether at work or outside, such as learning a new language or a new sport, can help build confidence. This may help you deal with stress.
It can also make you want to do things and be active.
Avoid unhealthy habits
Don’t rely on alcohol, smoking and caffeine as your ways of coping.
They might provide temporary relief, but in the long term, these crutches won’t solve your problems. They’ll just create new ones.
It’s best to tackle the cause of your stress.
Help other people
Evidence shows that people who help others, through activities such as volunteering or community work, often become more resilient.
If you don’t have time to volunteer, try to do someone a favour every day. It can be something as small as helping someone cross the road or going on a coffee run for colleagues.
Find out more about giving for mental wellbeing
Work smarter, not harder
Working smarter means prioritising your work, concentrating on the tasks that’ll make a real difference.
Leave the least important tasks to last. Accept that you will not have time for everything.
Try to be positive
Look for the positives in life, and things for which you’re grateful.
Try writing down 3 things that went well, or for which you’re grateful, at the end of every day.
If you would like to access any additional stress to manage stress than you can do so by acessing Health Assured, our employee assistance programme provider.
Telephone Helpline 0800 030 5182
Web Portal: www.healthassuredeap.com (User: SYFR, Pass: EAP)
EAP App Search ‘My Healthy Advantage’ in Apple store / Google Play (Code: MHA131327)
