The Stress at Work Affects Our Lives

The files that are being collected, the deadlines checked on the calendar, all come together and we have the impression that at some point we will give up. If we get home and our thoughts are on the problems at work, we can say that stress has set in and we need to find a way to overcome our daily fears.

According to the latest surveys, over 50% of employees suffer from stress and in the European Union, the number is much higher, around 70–75%. The press does not hesitate to present this phenomenon as a social calamity, a characteristic of modern times, inherent in civilization. There is no cure for stress. It is best to develop an individual strategy tailored to the requirements of the place where we work.

Try to evaluate yourself as objectively as possible

The signs that make you anxious could be: the boss does not give any sign that he would recognize our work; a new file is coming and there is not enough time to solve it; the boss just criticized the last task performed; today my colleague did not say a word to me.

The way we evaluate these events will make us more or less stressed. But, be careful, the interpretation of events is the fruit of our personal history, experience with people, and difficult situations. Each of us may have a saying that we don't realize yet, and it can be, "I have to be perfect," "People usually have to love me," "I have to succeed in everything I do," or " There is no need to put more effort, it will all come naturally. "

This kind of belief that we have about ourselves, our work, and others can affect us in the sense that we become less flexible about ourselves and our colleague's mistakes (mistakes that can stress us terribly when working in a team).

As a result, the same event may have equally plausible interpretations. For example, my colleague just contradicted us resolutely during the discussion. We can believe that his behavior was hostile as just as credible is that the subject of the discussion was interesting and he wanted to participate honestly, really saying what he thought.

When you are blamed for a mistake, you openly admit that you were wrong: excuses like "I wasn't careful", "I didn't know what was wrong with me" are evasive and don't improve your image. If you think you are wrong, you must argue thoroughly, making sure that the expression is short, clear, and safe.

Careful!

To be able to evaluate our behavior and performance as correctly as possible, we must not close ourselves in a circle of isolation but be very attentive to similar situations and observe if what stresses us is valid for other people.

Let's try to appeal to the previous difficult situations and remember what attitude we had, how we managed to overcome the difficulties, to be confident that we will succeed this time as well. We mustn't limit ourselves to the current situation. Stress will increase with fatigue, which will affect the quality of work and leisure alike.

Do you know your rights?

Several methods of defense can be developed if we are firmer and know our rights guaranteed by law. When we have a job task that we find almost impossible to solve, read the job description carefully and try to find out if it is part of the duties for which you signed up for employment. Accept what is not in your competence only after a discussion with the boss.

To overcome your fear of being fired, pay attention to the job market, to similar positions that appear, watch what tasks include a function identical to yours. Update your resume and convince yourself that you can always find another job if you are fired.

Careful!

The important thing is to get rid of the negative pressure. At home, it is good to find a favorite activity to which to dedicate our attention. Lying in bed does not benefit us at all: the thoughts left in their will obsessively return to the same problems of work.

Stress factors

We need to identify and eventually write down on a piece of paper everything we think is stressful. Then to eliminate point by point the reasons trying either to meet the demands of the company or to re-discuss our position, openly, with the boss.

Here are some reasons for stress:

1. Time pressure. The deadline for submitting the work result is always too early.

2. The performances required by the values ​​of the company seem to you from another planet: zero mistakes, total quality, excellence in every minute, etc.

3. Absence of job definition or insufficient description of responsibilities.

4. News. The company is bought by another company, the work procedures are changed or new technologies appear.

5. Frustration. The current possibilities of the company do not allow the further development of the projects you have worked on success so far.

6. Lack of recognition of merits. Too busy making the right decisions, few bosses have time to recognize the merits of their employees.

7. Conflict of values. The products promoted by the company are not appreciated by you and consequently, you cannot sell them or participate wholeheartedly in their promotion.

8. Interpersonal relationships. Colleagues, clients, bosses usually have tougher, more aggressive behavior, which you are not able to get used to.

9. Default messages. There are some implications, such as "Leaving the company later means you're a highly motivated employee." But don't be intimidated: maybe colleagues who stay overtime fail to finish promptly what they have to do.

Remember!

Stress at work affects our health and free time but also the quality of work. The important thing is not to underestimate yourself and try to solve problems by talking openly. Isolation does not bring anything good.