6 Ways to Handle Work-Related Stress When It Gets Too Much

Working for a lot of hours? Getting tired and not getting time for relaxation? If yes then you will automatically suffer from work-related stress in some way or the other. Work-related stress may be a growing problem around the world that affects not only the health and well-being of employees but also the productivity of organizations, especially during COVID-19 situations.

Work-related stress arises where work demands of varied types and combinations exceed the person’s capacity and capability to cope. During COVID-19, the work has to be done online without having a personalized connection with other colleagues, it has increased the chances of worsening the work-related stress. Working on a laptop from morning to evening isn’t a thing that can help you to reduce your stress.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the work conditions matter a lot for an increase or decrease in stress. The working conditions lead to an increase in job stress.

NIOSH-Model-of-Job-Stress

Source

What is Work-Related Stress?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), work-related stress is:

  • It is a reaction of a person when it is given with work demands and pressures which are unmatched his or her skills and knowledge. This may challenges his or her coping skills ability.
  • Stress may happen in any type of work but it may worsen when employees may feel little encouragement or support from their supervisors or colleagues. Also, this may occur when they have little control over their job processes.

What are the Warning Signs that Stress Is Too Much

Often, people don’t recognize the warning signs of work-related stress and instead adopt a ‘coping’ mechanism, putting it right down to just being extra busy and telling themselves that they ought to be ready to cope. People also can convince themselves that it’s only for a brief while until things recover, but more often than not this is often not the case. Work-related stress can happen into various signs which may include:

1. Insomnia

Thinking about your work lately and suffering from insomnia (lack of sleep)?  Then it’s a sign that it has been caused due to work-related stress. And, a study shows that those having trouble with sleeping can have lower work performance. The results of the study show that they are most likely to be absent from work and can have lower performance at work.

2. Mood swings

Most of the time, mood swings are also due to work-related stress. People can also have low mood as people get tired due to work-related situations.

3. Sickness

Stress always leads to sickness. When you are working in a stressful condition like during the days of COVID-19, it automatically causes you to be sick unusually.

4. Being defensive

As a person who is suffering from stress, your mood goes to be defensive. If you are not able to do the work properly, you will always find some ways to protect yourself from the situations.

5. Consuming a high amount of caffeine

Have you noticed that you are consuming a lot of caffeine? You have increased the intake of tea and coffee? If yes, then you might be suffering from work-related stress.

Tips on Coping Up with Work-Related Stress:

At some point, while we are working, we can feel the pressure and this can turn out to be work-related stress. There are some work challenges that we can solve immediately which gives us some stress. It may mean a good thing sometimes since it can able to push as to the limit yet there are times that it can become chronic which may be overwhelming and can be too much for us to handle. It may give us physical and emotional pain.

Although stress may not be unavoidable, there are ways on how you can cope up with it. It may harder at first but as long as you have the willpower to overcome it, in the long, you can able to handle it well.

So, how can we handle work-related stress? Below are the key actions you can do to manage your work-related stress.

1. Communicate

Do you want to reduce your stress level? If yes, then you should try communication. When you communicate, your stress level automatically reduces as you share your thoughts in one way or the other.

2. Give yourself some space

A lot of times, you are working continuously on your projects without giving yourself some space. It’s not a good thing to be done. You must give yourself some time to get alone and enjoy your company. Have some break and enjoy nature.

3. Get rid of unhealthy habits

Sometimes, you get to involve yourself in unhealthy habits like sitting continuously for hours without having a break and a small walk. Sometimes, you ignore your unhealthy eating habits and this leads you to an increase in stress level.

4. Identify your stress triggers

There is always something that is triggering your work-related stress level. You have to identify those triggers in order to cope up with your stress. Identification can make the process of reducing stress levels easier.

5. Take care of yourself

Taking care of yourself is an important step towards managing your work-related stress. If you are not caring for yourself properly then it is sure that you are going to suffer from work-related stress. Make yourself a priority in each and everything.

6. Get Some Support

When work-related stress is too much to handle, one thing that you can do is to ask for some support. You may ask for professional help such as having a Counselor for your work related-stress.

How Counselling Can Help You with Work-Related Stress?

If you are suffering from work-related stress and are not able to cope up with it yourself then counseling is a good option for you. Counseling involves you and another person that will communicate with you in the best way so as to tackle the triggers of your stress and will help you to cope up with it in a much better way. Many times, you feel that the stress level is getting out of your control and you will never going to get out of it.

At that time, you must go for counseling so as it does not lead you to a worse condition. Are you in stress right now? Do you have all these signs of stress mentioned above? If yes, then you must go for counselling option. It is surely going to help you in the best way possible. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get the right treatment (counselling) for yourself. You must be your priority!

Evergreen is Everywhere for Everyone – Let’s Help You Achieve Your Health and Wellness Goals

At Evergreen Rehab & Wellness – Coquitlam, we have registered Clinical Counsellors to help you get better.

We don’t only have Clinical Counsellors in Coquitlam, we also have Clinical Counsellors in Surrey that are always ready to provide patients in these areas with custom and high-quality care.

Moreover, we also have Clinical Counsellors in Langley that can help you.

You may contact us through the following:

Counselling Clinic in Coquitlam

Counselling Clinic in Surrey

Ready to book a clinical counseling appointment at Evergreen Rehab and Wellness Clinic? Call us at 604-449-5859 or 604-498-5859 or click the button below. We will help you to enjoy a painless and healthy lifestyle.