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Stress at Work
Is stress as much a permanent fixture at your job as the office coffee machine? If
so, youve got plenty of company. According to the American Psychological
Association, workplace stress costs American companies an estimated $300 billion
annually.
Theres been workplace stress as long as there have been workplaces, but if you
think youre more stressed now, youre probably right. Ability to do their job well
and therefore keep their job is a major stress for most employees, especially in a
fluctuating economy, says Heidi Golledge, co-founder of CareerBliss.
But this doesnt mean youre relegated to spending 40 hours (or more!) each week
as a bundle of nerves. Social scientists who study how, when and why
our jobs stress us out have
Sit up straight. Your mother probably told you to sit up straight, but she probably
didnt know good posture can affect how well you do on the job. Your posture
influences psychology and that influences behavior, says Andy Yap, a post
doctoral associate and lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Yap
conducted experiments and found that when we sit in tight, contracted positions
like squeezed into a too-small seat or hunched over our phone we feel more
stressed and less powerful. Power buffers you from stress, he says.
If your desk or workstation is cramped, see if you can move things around to give
yourself a little more physical (and mental) breathing room. If thats not an option,
periodically strike power poses, where you take up more space and stretch out a
bit.
Get organized. Researchers at UCLA found that just looking at clutter can spur the
bodys production of stress hormones, so working in a messy office or cubicle can
make you stressed even if the work itself isnt high-stress. Its OK to start small.
We know from research that little acts of neatness cascade into larger acts of
organization, UC Berkeley sociologist Christine Carter tells CNN. Tackle that pile
of papers you never get around to filing, or the overflowing inbox.
In general, clutter is simply a delayed decision, says Scott Roewer, who owns
organizing company Solutions by Scott & Company. Start by simplifying the
decision process by using these three categories: reference, action, and recycle, he
advises, then subdivide from there. If you have 10 to 15 pieces of paper on your
desk in an action pile, it may work for you, but as the number of action items
grows, your system will become less productive. If you group your papers by the
type of action, youll be able to act on them more efficiently, he says. Your tasks
can be things like call back, file and send out.
Abandon unrealistic goals. Ambition is good, but sometimes we can fall into the
trap of setting goals for ourselves that are too high, which just discourages us when
we fail to reach them. Peter Creed, a psychology professor at Griffith University
in Australia, studied nearly 200 college students and noted how they reacted when
faced with an unachievable goal. When contemplating unachievable goals, those
with a higher capacity to adjust their goals report less distress, more career
planning, and more exploration. Like many other things in life, being able to be
flexible is key.
Aim high, but with the understanding that you can go back and change those
goals. Taking pride in everything you do, no matter how big or how small, is key
to confidence and success, Golledge says.
Try to avoid interruptions. Yes, it can be easier said than done when your phone
is ringing and your voicemail light is already flashing, your email inbox is filling
up and a co-worker sticks their head in to ask a question. But researchers in
Germany found that addressing interruptions rather than staying focused less to
stress. Workflow interruptions had detrimental effects on satisfaction with ones
own performance, the forgetting of intentions, and irritation, they wrote.
When the inevitable does happen, dont let it derail you, Roewer says. If you find
yourself interrupted in the middle of a task, write a quick reminder to yourself
about what and where you left off, he suggests. By using this method, youll have
a reminder of where to begin when you return, and wont lose time trying to retrace
your steps.
Embrace your stress. Yep, it sounds crazy. But researchers at Yale
University discovered that experiment subjects who were presented with the idea
that stress can be beneficial reported improved psychological symptoms and better
work performance compared to other subjects who were taught that stress is
debilitating. It didnt take much to change peoples attitudes, either; subjects
watched less than 10 minutes of video about stress, and that was enough to change
their outlook about stress. Having a positive outlook on stress makes people more
likely to rise to whatever challenge theyre facing when stressful situations occur.
12 Ways To Eliminate
Stress At Work
The average business professional has 30 to 100 projects on their plate. Modern workers are
interrupted seven times an hour and distracted up to 2.1 hours a day. And four out of 10 people
working at large companies are experiencing a major corporate restructuring, and therefore facing
uncertainly about their futures. This may be why more than 40% of adults say they lie awake at
night plagued by the stressful events of the day.
deadline or to fulfill a challenging obligation. But when work stress becomes chronic, it can be overwhelming
and harmful to both physical and emotional health.
Unfortunately such long-term stress is all too common. In 2012, 65 percent of Americans cited work as a top
source of stress, according to the American Psychological Association's (APA) annual Stress in America Survey.
Only 37 percent of Americans surveyed said they were doing an excellent or very good job managing stress.
A 2013 survey by APA's Center for Organizational Excellence also found that job-related stress is a serious issue.
More than one-third of working Americans reported experiencing chronic work stress and just 36 percent said
their organizations provide sufficient resources to help them manage that stress.
You can't always avoid the tensions that occur on the job. Yet you can take steps to manage work-related stress.
Low salaries.
Excessive workloads.
Few opportunities for growth or advancement.
Work that isn't engaging or challenging.
Lack of social support.
Not having enough control over job-related decisions.
Conflicting demands or unclear performance expectations.
Track your stressors. Keep a journal for a week or two to identify which situations create the most
stress and how you respond to them. Record your thoughts, feelings and information about the environment,
including the people and circumstances involved, the physical setting and how you reacted. Did you raise your
voice? Get a snack from the vending machine? Go for a walk? Taking notes can help you find patterns among
your stressors and your reactions to them.
Develop healthy responses. Instead of attempting to fight stress with fast food or alcohol, do your best
to make healthy choices when you feel the tension rise. Exercise is a great stress-buster. Yoga can be an
excellent choice, but any form of physical activity is beneficial. Also make time for hobbies and favorite activities.
Whether it's reading a novel, going to concerts or playing games with your family, make sure to set aside time for
the things that bring you pleasure. Getting enough good-quality sleep is also important for effective stress
management. Build healthy sleep habits by limiting your caffeine intake late in the day and minimizing stimulating
activities, such as computer and television use, at night.
Establish boundaries. In today's digital world, it's easy to feel pressure to be available 24 hours a day.
Establish some work-life boundaries for yourself. That might mean making a rule not to check email from home in
the evening, or not answering the phone during dinner. Although people have different preferences when it comes
to how much they blend their work and home life, creating some clear boundaries between these realms can
reduce the potential for work-life conflict and the stress that goes with it.
Take time to recharge. To avoid the negative effects of chronic stress and burnout, we need time to
replenish and return to our pre-stress level of functioning. This recovery process requires switching off from work
by having periods of time when you are neither engaging in work-related activities, nor thinking about work. That's
why it's critical that you disconnect from time to time, in a way that fits your needs and preferences. Don't let your
vacation days go to waste. When possible, take time off to relax and unwind, so you come back to work feeling
reinvigorated and ready to perform at your best. When you're not able to take time off, get a quick boost by
turning off your smartphone and focusing your attention on non-work activities for a while.
Learn how to relax. Techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises and mindfulness (a state
in which you actively observe present experiences and thoughts without judging them) can help melt away stress.
Start by taking a few minutes each day to focus on a simple activity like breathing, walking or enjoying a meal.
The skill of being able to focus purposefully on a single activity without distraction will get stronger with practice
and you'll find that you can apply it to many different aspects of your life.
Talk to your supervisor. Healthy employees are typically more productive, so your boss has an
incentive to create a work environment that promotes employee well-being. Start by having an open conversation
with your supervisor. The purpose of this isn't to lay out a list of complaints, but rather to come up with an effective
plan for managing the stressors you've identified, so you can perform at your best on the job. While some parts of
the plan may be designed to help you improve your skills in areas such as time management, other elements
might include identifying employer-sponsored wellness resources you can tap into, clarifying what's expected of
you, getting necessary resources or support from colleagues, enriching your job to include more challenging or
meaningful tasks, or making changes to your physical workspace to make it more comfortable and reduce strain.
Get some support. Accepting help from trusted friends and family members can improve your ability to
manage stress. Your employer may also have stress management resources available through an employee
assistance program (EAP), including online information, available counseling and referral to mental health
professionals, if needed. If you continue to feel overwhelmed by work stress, you may want to talk to a
psychologist, who can help you better manage stress and change unhealthy behavior.
6 Mar 2015
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Libor-fixing fines to fund new well-being programme for Blue Light personnel
Nearly 9 in 10 (87 per cent) employees and volunteers have experienced stress, low mood and
poor mental health while working for the emergency services, according to new data from mental
health charity Mind.
The online survey of over 3,500 emergency services staff also revealed that more than half (55
per cent) had experienced mental health problems at some point.
This is a sharp increase from the findings of the 2011 CIPD report, Focus on mental health in the
Workplace, which revealed that 26 per cent of respondents had experienced a mental health
problem.
Last year, mental ill-health was said to have cost the UK economy between 70m and 100m in
lost productivity and sickness absence. Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has pledged an extra
120mto fund the improvement in mental health care in the NHS and help combat some of these
challenges.
Research has shown that those working in the emergency services have a greater risk of
developing poor mental health, due to the unique set of difficulties these challenging roles
present. But Minds latest study also indicated that emergency service workers find it harder than
other professions to say when theyre not at their best and are less likely to take time off sick as a
result.
Just 43 per cent of survey respondents said they had taken time off work due to poor mental
health, compared to 57 per cent among the general workforce.
As a result of the growing need for support and guidance around mental health in the profession,
Mind is launching a mental well-being programme for Blue Light personnel. Funded by 4m
worth of bank fines from the Libor-fixing scandal, the Blue Light Programme, aims to tackle the
stigma and discrimination at an organisational level as well as across the wider public.
Under the programme, managers, employees and volunteers will be offered bespoke mental
health training, and help on building the mental health resilience.
Commenting on the funding, Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, said: The programme well be
delivering over the next year aims to ensure that the estimated quarter of a million people working
and volunteering within police, ambulance, fire and search and rescue divisions are able to talk
openly about their mental health and access the support they need to stay well, recover and
continue doing the vital and challenging roles they do serving the community.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg welcomed the programme and said it was vital that greater
support was offered to the people who support us most.
"Emergency service workers save lives every day, helping people in trouble or in need, but we
need to support them as they deal with the incredibly stressful and sometimes harrowing
situations they face in the line of duty, he said.With initiatives like this were helping to drive a
culture change so that one day well see parity of esteem between physical and mental health,
he added.
meditation program. Meditating for 27 minutes each day, the 16 participants showed measurable
changes in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress.
Lunchtime means a fast food trip. Along with altering your ability to think, the release of cortisol
can also make you crave calorie-rich, sugary foods. "When we're stressed, we may not take care
of our bodies nutritionally as well," Scott says. "We tend to crave sugary foods, junk foods and
things that will affect how sharp we're thinking."
Cure: Commit to a healthier diet. Come lunchtime, you may crave a meal loaded with calories if
you're feeling frazzled. "[But] making a conscious effort to cut down on unhealthy eating when
stressed, and then actively engaging in healthier stress-relief habits, can help break the cycle,"
Scott says. She recommends reducing portions, snacking on nutritious options such as peanut
butter and sliced apples, and resolving to eat only healthy food and only when hungry