Decreasing work stress effectively increases your health and immune system, and improves your overall ability to function. Your personality plays a big role in coping with work stress, but even if you're normally hard-driving and pessimistic you can learn ways to relieve the symptoms of stress.
What is stress?
Work stress is the "physical or psychological disturbance you experience as a result of an adverse or challenging situation on the job." In layman's terms, job stress is when you think your head's gonna explode because of people, machinery, or uncontrollable situations.
Work stress is what you experience in your mind and body – not necessarily the event itself. That is, you may find making small talk with your boss or attending meetings with prospective clients extremely stressful. Yet your coworker could find a day at the beach more nerve-racking than speaking in front of 15,000 colleagues! People differ in their perceptions and management of work stress. This means that decreasing work stress is different for everyone.
A single doesn't cause work stress. It's your perception or interpretation of the situation that can create feelings of stress on the job. Similarly, decreasing work stress is affected by your perception and opinions, not just any activity.
Signs of work stress:
- Physical & psychological exhaustion/fatigue.
- Increased illnesses.
- Loss of sleep or insomnia.
- Increased or decreased appetite.
- Headaches, stomachaches, ulcers - common signs of work stress.
- Diarrhea or constipation (if decreasing work stress doesn't counter this, perhaps a visit to your doctor is a good idea).
- Lack of focus or ability to concentrate.
- Bad mood or grumpiness; criticizing coworkers and family - more common signs of work stress.
You usually know when you should start decreasing work stress. Sometimes, though, you don't realize until after the situation has passed how anxious or tense you were - or how much you were affected by stress on the job. Staying in tune with your mind, body, and soul through meditation, exercise, and time alone is an essential step towards decreasing work stress, especially if you want to nurture your health and well-being.
Decreasing work stress: personality factors & stress management
Knowing what works for you in decreasing work stress can be learned, but it's also part of your personality. For instance if you're pessimistic, hard-driving, and hostile then your stress level will skyrocket and you'll have a harder time decreasing work stress. If you're optimistic, easygoing, and friendly then you're less likely to experience the signs of work stress - and decreasing work stress isn't a huge problem.
Though you're more or less born with your temperament or disposition, you can choose to become more optimistic, patient, easygoing, and generous as part of decreasing work stress. Since negative emotions and stress can trigger illness and disease by lowering your immune system, you have a vested interest in choosing a more positive outlook! Decreasing work stress can improve your perception of your whole life.
Decreasing work stress
Psychological hardiness relieves symptoms of work stress. Studies show that there are three important differences between executives who handle stress well and those who don't.
- Stress-resistant executives have clear goals, and a strong commitment to those goals. They experience support from colleagues (not isolation or alienation). So, when you're decreasing work stress consider your goals and commitment.
- Stress-resistant executives welcome change and work challenges, and see both as part of a normal healthy workplace. They don't see events as alarming or frightening. When you're decreasing work stress, see change as healthy and inspiring.
- Stress-resistant executives feel in control of their lives. They have an internal locus of control (they feel powerful and influential). Consider how much control you think you have when you're decreasing work stress.
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