There are a lot of ways stress can effect us. We’re all different, but here are the common ones that many people might feel:
1. Feeling overwhelmed – Often like there’s no point to trying because there’s too much to do.
2. Feeling frustrated & Irritable. Snapping at colleagues or family, exploding into anger.
3. Tension or pain in head, back and shoulders. Sometimes dizzy spells, sharp pain, or constant tension.
4. Difficulty concentrating. Easily distracted, flipping between things, hard to stay on task.
5. Less confidence. Feeling unsure of self, particularly in situations involving people.
6. Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Pain, frequent bathroom visits, constipation, churning, or bloating.
7. Second guessing self. Decisions becomes harder, take longer to make, & poor follow through.
8. Over-analysing things. We go back over things a lot, re-examining them, and get slowed down.
9. Heartburn. Getting more acid reflux is quite common.
10. Lower Immune System. We catch more colds & infections and take longer to get over them.
11. Palpatations, rapid pulse, chest pain. Can also make catching our breath harder.
12. Diminished Libido. Sexual interest can drop, creating relationship problems.
13. Change in appetite. Can lose interest in food or fall into comfort eating when not hungry.
14. Feelings of Panic. Perhaps even ‘heart attack’ like panic attacks and overwhelming dread.
15. Poor sleep. Taking a long time to fall asleep, early waking, or interrupted sleep can occur.
16. Sweating or blushing. When under pressure we are more likely to react physically.
17. Mouth going dry, difficulty speaking. Feeling ‘on the spot’ can bring these on more easily.
18. More worry and anxiety. Feeling nervious, being twitchy, tapping feet etc. to relieve tension.
19. Poor concentration. Difficulty learning new things, staying focussed in a meeting, confusion, etc.
20. Depression. Feeling down, feeling worthless, feeling undervalued, & low self esteem can occur.
21. Defensive and suspicious feelings making the workplace harder. More conflict & arguments.
22. Isolation. Avoiding people and social events, feeling unable to face colleagues.
23. Constant tiredness. Low energy, fatigue, exhaustion, dragging self through the day.
24. Far less productivity. A decline in getting things done/finished often accompanies stress.
25. Dreading work. Spend Sunday nights being a ball of worry about Monday morning and so on.
All of these can be signs of a build up of stress. It can destroy lives, cut business productivity, and see great people leave the workplace to avoid it. The cost is enormous in money terms too.
Stress reduction can come in many forms, but the key is realising that all of these symptoms occuring in the human body, are all triggered by the mind. Because of this implementing new structures or procedures aimed at reducing stress is a lot harder when we are already stressed.
A complete approach can be far more effective in both costs and levels of success. It is more beneficial if existing stress is reduced before the extra work of new changes is implemented. Then it becomes easier to keep stress down long-term.
If stress is present in your workplace, look at reducing it individually as you go. A stressed manager will inadvertantly create extra stress down the line. Getting that person’s stress down means they can achieve more in making the workplace less difficult and more productive for everyone.
Here’s a simple step-by-step explanation of one method to create a more productive and less stressful enviroment when stress has already been identified as a problem:
1. Recognise that our perceptions, reactions, and judgement are influenced by the stress. Our efforts to restructure/reprocess the enviroment are influenced by this.
2. Maximise ability and achievement in any new system. A reduction in the stress levels of those implementing the new systems, will yield a better result.
3. Use fast and effective personal stress reduction techniques with those implementers. The project will get the right start and will be continued well.
4. As you progress make personal stress reduction techniques available to all the effected staff This is so that the new procedures are not conflilcting with the stress that is present, but are easier to achieve as individual stress is reduced. This will allow people to adapt and improve more quickly and with less strife.
5. Recognise stress for what it is: A series of biochemical and physical reactions. Tackling it on those levels is the most successful way.
6. Any plan needs to include a fail-safe system of recognition of a reocurrence of stress. Simple tracking of productivity, absenteeism, and conflicts can be used as an early warning system to ensure stress levels don’t rise again without intervention.
Stress can be disastrous and is often left to run too long before it is dealt with, in businesses and organisations. The ‘anything for a quiet life’ approach of ignoring the issues usually costs a lot more down the line and creates a bigger problem. Notice if stress is present; notice how it impacts your group; dial down stress levels; put in place structures to keep it down, then keep an eye open for any signs of it growing again, to be sure you’re on top of it and generating a more productive, successful, and happier environment.
It’s in our hands. Take control of it. Inaction is disaster.
Wishing you a stress-free week.
John
