Health Network News

Working can provide our lives with structure, satisfaction and financial income, however, it can also be a cause of stress and worry. You do not want you job to be a cakewalk, but any means. We all want a challenge to make the end product all the more satisfying. But if the amount of stress and pressure we are under gets to be too much, then we find ourselves under stress. Researchers have found that one in six people rates his or her job very or extremely stressful, and one the primary reasons for absence due to illness is job stress.

You can have work-related stress due to unpredictable stress or a situation with a sudden onset. However, it can also be factors that take their toll over a long period of time. You can feel work-related stress due to a myriad of factors. For example, the environment in which you work, the hours and schedule you work, the dynamics of your interactions with your coworkers, not being challenged enough, or feeling too overwhelmed due to not having the skills needed to complete the job.

Work-related stress is responsible for both physical and psychological health problems. Stress may cause physical symptoms such as digestive issues, sweating, headaches, difficulty sleeping, backaches, and tiredness. Psychological symptoms can include feelings that you cannot cope, irritability and mood swings, disturbed eating patterns, finding it hard to concentrate, feeling less motivated and a lower sex drive (libido).

You cannot just eliminate stress from work completely. You must learn to cope with your work-related stress appropriately and properly. If you are going to have a job, you will have stress. There are three basic approaches to dealing with stress:

- Alter your responses to the causes of stress

- Lower the impact on your body from stress

- Educate yourself on other ways you can manage stress

If you cannot get your work-related stress alone, then you will need to see a professional, who may be able to find individualized methods for you to cope. Do not resist seeing someone because you believe this indicates weakness. It is weak to simply sit and pretend there is no problem. It takes strength to solve your problem. When you talk to your health care provider, he will recognize the signs and symptoms of work-related stress. They can talk you through the origins and triggers. They will also teach you how to relax using special strategies.

Are you being harassed on the job? Is this causing you work-related stress? Is someone bullying you? If either of these situations is the root, then talk to someone in your personnel department or in your human resources office. Almost all companies have guidelines to help deal with harassment in the workplace; this is important because no one should feel bullied, harassed, or victimized at the place they work. If your manager does not seem to be taking your complaint seriously, then you must press forward because you are legally protected. You do not need your manager to take action.