Stress at work does not bypass anyone. Even if you do what you like, you experience stress every day. On some level, it mobilizes you to work, too big - destroys you. Learn about particularly stressful situations and see how to deal with them.
Competition can be good because it forces us to make an effort. Man's development is favored by tasks that slightly exceed his abilities. If they are too easy, we find them boring and have no incentive to try. But if they are too difficult, they paralyze. It's the same with competition. On a certain level, it stimulates, too much - takes away the calmness, tires and burns out.
Stress at work: competition between employees
It is worth mobilizing, but you cannot live in high gear forever. Constant mobilization of the body, concentrated mind, tense muscles prevent normal functioning. High levels of hormones (including adrenaline) increase blood pressure and change the blood composition. And this is the way to coronary heart disease or a heart attack. - Are you winning your business race for one sleepless night? All right. Worse, if it is a permanent state - warns Platowska. - When everyone is competing with everyone, and the management encourages us to maintain this attitude, we end up getting tired. Nobody can stand it in the long run, because how long can you be better than the others? There will probably be a lot of rotation in such a workplace, because over time employees choose companies where the conditions are less stressful.
Constant competition leads to emotional exhaustion. After intensive work, there must be a moment of relaxation and rest. And if the situation does not allow it, because others are already lurking in your moment of weakness - you cannot relax. Such conditions are called high emotional demands by psychologists and are considered very stressful.
Effects? Depression, i.e. depressed mood, anxiety, discouragement, disappointment, a sense of helplessness and constant fatigue. Indifferent or even hostile attitude towards colleagues, treating them as objects, feeling of lack of achievement. Burnout, i.e. you think that your job is pointless, that you have no success at all, you have a feeling of failure.
It is mainly young people who started working withidealistic expectations. After two or three years of constant racing, they start to feel the effects of excessive stress.What to do?
- Do not participate in this rat race. - Be like an Olympic swimmer who floats when he floats - advises Platowska. - You don't look sideways to see what your opponents are doing, because it's a waste of precious seconds. So do you - do your best, calmly and without getting nervous.
- Distance yourself. See the situation from the side. Work the best you can and relax. Take small breaks and take a few deep breaths.
Stress at work: compulsion to stay after hours
When you can't plan your free evening or afternoon because you're still at work, you start calculating. If it gives you profits - a bonus or a raise - you agree, because you can afford a beautiful vacation, a new car. Such overtime can be tiring but not stressful.
Worse if you don't get a penny for them. You feel exploited, forced to work during the time you would rather spend with your family. And that creates stress. Forced overtime is stressful because it takes away our sense of control over the situation. - The boss's order is not a proposal that can be rejected - explains Platowska. - We have no choice, because we are afraid of the punishment that may befall us for refusing to do so.What to do?
- If the forced overtime is due to temporary difficulties for the company, it is worth giving up. Today you will adapt, tomorrow you will benefit from it. The boss will notice that you have not left the company in need, and maybe you will receive an appropriate gratification.
- Change your approach. Replace "must" with "want". Think about what working in this particular company gives you, what profits make it worth staying after hours. Knowing that it is your choice will reduce dissatisfaction and tension. You will have a greater sense of control over the situation. Recognize that your career path is up to you. You sit after hours because it speeds up your promotion.
- If unpaid and forced overtime is permanent and you will not benefit from it, it is worth asking your boss for an interview and calmly refer to the terms of the contract. You can tell your boss that you like the company and the job and that you care about it, so you'll be happy to be available once in a while. However, in the long run, you would like to leave on time, because your family situation does not allow you to stay with the company longer than the schedule provides. It's also worth honestly saying that you feel overburdened and that your performance suffers a lot.
- If your boss is flexible, try to negotiate. Say:"I will try to meet the requirements, but let it work both ways." When necessary, you will be left after hours without complaint. But when you need to go to the doctor with your baby, for example, you won't have to take a day off, the boss will just let you out. Then overtime will not be a forced situation, but a transaction in which you participate voluntarily.
Stress at work: nobody likes anyone
Relationships with people in the workplace have a great impact on our well-being. Research shows that even the greatest stress is easier to bear and is less harmful when we have a sense of social support. Working in a team with bad relations, you get the feeling that others are just waiting for you to stumble. You become convinced that you need to be vigilant, because as soon as you stare, others will make you a victim or an object of taunts, they will blow you into a sensation.
It is important not only to avoid conflicts, but also to be actively supported by the environment. If we receive emotional support (sympathy, kindness, interest), instrumental support (concrete help in solving a problem), informational support (data that is important in solving a certain situation) and evaluating support (praise and constructive criticism) - stress seems to fade away .
Each of us needs gestures of acceptance and sympathy to feel good. He must get a certain amount of such "strokes" every day. If we do not receive them at work, we are unlucky: we spend most of our time here. Hardly any partner "after hours" can catch up with these arrears. As a result, we feel bad, and the stress catches up with redoubled force.What to do?
- Take a look around. Maybe there will be someone normal in this crowd. If not, seek support outside the department. Somewhere where those kind people work. It is worth making an appointment for lunch with someone like that, even from outside the company - just talking to a friendly soul relaxes and strengthens.
- Concentrate on your work. Learn to separate pleasure from work. Don't look for support or social contacts in the company. - Remember that work is a place where you earn money, and do not expect something that is not there - says Platowska. Most of us, driven by a neurotic need for love, want everyone to like them. And that's impossible!
Stress causes 60 percent absences from work
Experts warn that over half of employee absences may be due to excessive stress. In Europe, the losses of enterprises on this account are estimated at EUR 617 billion per year. The most common stressors areincl. excess responsibilities and high expectations of superiors. People who are overloaded and cannot cope with stress at work are less effective and more often make mistakes, which translates into the condition of companies and lower GDP of European countries. Therefore, employers should support employees in coping with stress.
Source: Lifestyle.newseria.pl
What will help you fight stress?
On thelist of sources of stress- according to CBOS research - unemployment is the first (77%), but the second is stress in the workplace and family crisis (47 proc.).
However, work is uneven - also in terms of stress. Certain phenomena are particularly stressful: when there is a bad atmosphere in the team and misunderstandings reign, when we are forced to work overtime or in an atmosphere of constant competition, or when the boss manages "through dissatisfaction" - constantly criticizing but does not say what we can do better. Check if your work conditions are on our blacklist and you will find out what strategy to adopt to reduce the tensions in the workplace.
Stress at work: the boss is always dissatisfied
- The boss is a person endowed with authority, someone with more knowledge and experience - says Katarzyna Platowska, psychologist and therapist. - And we have had training since childhood in accepting and submitting to the opinions of people of a higher status. First it was the parents, then the teachers, and finally the boss. We care about a good opinion in his eyes, because we view ourselves in him like in a mirror.
The worst happens when we are misjudged and we don't know why. We do not know what needs to be improved. Unfortunately, there is a large group of managers who manage "through dissatisfaction" - frowning, disapproving glances, and finally implying that our work could be done better. However, there are no particulars. And the employee? Although he tries to improve, the fog around him only thickens … He doesn't know what he did wrong, how to translate skills into practical successes.
The employee needs both recognition and constructive criticism. To function properly, it needs them in a proportion of 2: 1, which is twice as much recognition as criticism. Disapproval creates a sense of danger. Criticism is pointless if it does not give you directions on what to change. - When we don't know it, we can't get better. Then the threat of job loss hangs over us, like the sword of Damocles, warns the psychologist. - Man feels chased.What to do?
- Ask your boss for specific comments. Make him understand: “You judge me because you know more. This is why I am turning to you for advice. Give me some of your knowledge aI will work better. " - The worst thing is ignorance - Katarzyna Platowska believes. - If we receive guidance, we will be able to act, and then we will feel that we are starting to control the situation.
- Take the initiative into your own hands. Don't be a passive person. Communicate in a non-aggressive manner: “I am also concerned with doing my best. Where did I go wrong? ” And be sure to make an appointment in some time to discuss the effects.
- Try to explain your behavior. If you know the reason for your supervisor's dissatisfaction, e.g. you are working too slowly, in his opinion, ask for an interview and explain the reason. Say: “I understand the allegations, but please see it differently. I care about meeting deadlines, but also about the quality of the work given. Some things I can't do faster. "
- Try to constantly educate yourself. A sense of competence adds confidence. When you are confident in your skills and knowledge, you are less likely to find your job stressful.
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