Posts Tagged ‘work stress’

Knowing What Stress Can Do To Your Body

We might not know it but stress can actually do more damage to your body than most people think. Most people take advantage of their body’s limit and push it to extreme just to get the job done, while thinking that their body will adapt to the stress they impose upon it.

But truth to tell, our body have a certain capacity in which it can function; exceed those capacities and you will end up in one of the rooms of the hospital waiting for your body to recover. Stress can affect you in many ways – physical, mental and emotional functions are disrupted gaining you the inability to function properly whether social, personal or career work.

Stress effects on your body

There is a certain degree in which stress can affect your body. A stressed person will complain of headaches and body pains here and there. If left unchecked, this will lead to migraine and muscle tension that will eventually lead to stiffness.

Major changes will affect the biochemical functions of your body. This involves diarrhea, constipation, nausea and dizziness. You will find it hard to sleep at nights even if you feel week and needs rest. People usually resort to medications to counter this effect, but will only give temporary remedy.

To those who suffer from a weak heart, most often they will complain of chest pains and rapid heartbeat – the usual signs and symptoms that will eventually lead to stroke or cardiac arrest.  Note however that different physical manifestations of stress can be seen for different people, it all depends on your body’s capacity.

Behavioral problems related to stress

Aside from physical manifestations of stress in your body, you might also notice some behavioral changes while under the throes of stress. Changes in sleeping patterns, lack of sleep or inability to sleep during normal slumber hours is usually the initial reactions to stress – these are usually caused by heightened emotional and mental functions which is more into the negative aspect rather than positive.

Self-pity and isolation is caused by the depressed mental state of the person when certain problems crop up in their every day life. Irritability and anger will start when the person is bereft of his or her natural ability to rationalize which is usually the case when stressed or being burdened by heavy problems.

How to cope

There are different techniques that a person can employ to avoid these manifestations of stress in their life. The first technique, and the most important one, is learning how to relax when stress pays you a visit. You an employ techniques like meditation, breathing exercises, aromatherapy, or music therapy to induce a state of relaxation to your mind. Once you have achieved this step, you can proceed on how to deal with stress that affects your body.

Since most of your physiological functions are imbalanced due to stress, you can start by pampering your body through various massages offered by health spas within your neighborhood. Loosen those tight muscles to relieve assorted aches and pains and increasing your flexibility.

Physical exercise can also help develop cardiovascular functions and strengthening your heart to avoid stroke or rapid heart rate. Also, you need to keep a close lookout on your diet, make sure you avoid taking in junk foods and fast foods that will elevate harmful chemicals in your body.

Try to stick with fruits and vegetables and take in herbal supplements to help rejuvenate your body.

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Stress Reducers in the Workplace

Stress is a regular part of life and any job. Without stress, workers cannot meet deadlines, strive to achieve required sells required for the job, or meet satisfaction of the clients. Meeting the demands of a job makes the work interesting and satisfying and often allows people to develop their skills and achieve promotion. People regularly experience stress-causing situations in the workplace. They react to these events with tension and then come back to a more relaxed condition when it is over.

Stressors In The Workplace
In the workplace, stress can usually cross from normal to excessive. Excessive stress can activate physical and emotional reactions that can be detrimental to employees and business alike.

Some jobs especially those that include physical strength like firefighting or those involve in maintaining justice are very stressful. Other jobs like teaching or social work that are physiologically demanding can also be stressful and even people who crunch numbers or stamp metal can experience stress.

Workplace stress can be caused by several factors, some of which may include: unsupportive working environment, high demands of the job, or poor organizational communication.

Sudden change in the workplace can cause employees develop a fear of being fired. Frequent personnel turnover, poor chances of promotion, lack of preparation for technological changes can also become the stress factor for the employees.

Some work stress factors may include: too much workload, dull or worthless tasks, lengthy hours of work and small pay, unreasonable performance demands and rare rest breaks. However the physical environment of the workplace like noise and overcrowding, poor air quality, health and safety risks can also cause stress to the workers.

Supervisors that are distant and uncommunicative are walking stressors. Meager performance from subordinates can also cause stress to supervisors. Staff members also create their own stress by developing office politics, competition, bullying or harassment.

Health Risks Of Stress In The Workplace
A link between workplace stress and physical or emotional problems exist. Early signs of job stress include: sleep disturbances, stomach problems, trouble in concentration, irritability, headache, low morale, and poor affairs with family members and friends. These signs are simple to distinguish, but without proper management, they can develop into severe health risks like cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal conditions and psychological disorders.

Work Stress Reduction
Managers and employers can reduce stress at work by providing stress management programs and training for workers and improvement in the working conditions.
There are programs that are intended to aid employees with personal problems that may be disturbing their job performance. Also, they may consist of counseling, mental health assessments, workshops on managing their time, ways of relaxing and assistance both legally and financially. The relief provided by these programs may be shallow and brief if the roots of stress in the work setting are not tackled.

Creating a healthy working environment can create a lasting stress relief of the workers. Encouraging employee participation, implementation of policies that includes the needs of the workers are some of the ways to provide a better working environment.

Employees can also reduce their job stress by getting a job description. A specific job description provided by the employer provides the basic guidelines and expectations for the performance of the employee. If the is becoming too stressful, maybe it is time for the employee to look for a more suitable job or ask if the company could modify the job to suit the employee?s skill.

Getting support from the local, state or federal agencies can lessen work stress by providing the employees the backing they need to keep them from hazardous situations in the workplace.

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