Work demands in this information age can be overwhelming. Stress is a natural response to pressure. Work Stress occurs when you perceive that these demands exceed your coping ability. Dr. Sharon Melnick, a business psychologist says ‘’people feel overwhelmed and overly busy’’.
What could be the likely stressors (causes of this stress).
- Pressure to meet increasing expectation but, no job satisfaction.
- Increase in work load as a result of limited workforce.
- Pressure to work at optimum levels always!
- Fear of losing the Job.
- Interpersonal problems amongst colleagues.
- High demands and low appreciation mechanisms.
What Effects Can Work Stress Bring To Workers?
Changes in eating habit i.e. too much or too little.
Changes in sleeping patterns I.e. sleeping too much or too little
Memory problems
Deterioration of health.
Use of substances (e.g drugs, alcohol, tobacco) for relaxation.
Moodiness and emotional strain.
Psychological burnout.
Death.
Are There Ways To Help Of Coping With It Or Eliminating It?
Biofeedback;
A technique that helps you better deal with stress and anxiety after mastery. It uses external/computerized measuring devices to show how successful one is at relaxing and trains the body to relax without the external device. E.g EEG. Electroencephaloghram.
For more information, log on to www.mobilehealthconsult.org
Progressive muscle relaxation;
This is an internal technique that helps you monitor and control muscular tension. A person learns to induce tension and release it in varied muscle groups.
Mindfulness meditation;
Exercise;
Regular exercise helps in stress and anxiety reduction. It also helps boosts the mood and keep the body healthy.
Smile and laugh;
Our brains are interconnected with our emotions and facial expressions. And lots of stress is held on the face. Smiling helps relieve the stress.
Diaphragmatic breathing;
This is a relaxation technique that helps lower the heart rate. Fast heart rate is associated with stress. Thus, a slower heart rate helps reduce it. A popular way to do this is contracting and releasing the diaphragm at intervals.
