A little bit of pressure at work can keep you motivated, but too much can have devastating consequences for your health. It is estimated that one in five of the UK working population is affected by stress, and over 105 million working days are lost each year as a result.
Pressure at work can be positive and motivating because it helps us achieve our goals and perform better. But when the pressure becomes too much and the demands become greater than our ability to cope, healthy pressure can easily turn into harmful stress. But what triggers stress?
Some common stress triggers are as follows:
Long hours, heavy workloads and too much responsibility are common causes of stress, but there are many other things that can trigger stress – such as not being involved in decision-making, not getting any support from managers or colleagues, or worrying about job stability. Stress affects people in different ways, so what one person finds stressful may not affect someone else.
The following are some tips for dealing with signs of stress:
Learning to spot the signs of stress and address them straight away will help you to avoid any long-term problems. Try to make sure you don’t work long hours, skip your lunch break or avoid taking annual leave. Focus on one task at a time, explain why you’re not in a position to take on more tasks, and ask for help to avoid being inundated at work.
Managing your own stress levels are vital for your long term health so it is important that as soon as you spot signs of stress you deal with it.