Impact of work pressures and how to deal with stress at work

Work-related pressures can significantly affect an individual’s physical and mental health. Unfortunately, work stress does not simply vanish at the end of the workday; it can persist or even escalate, especially if not managed effectively.

Chronic work stress can lead to various health problems, including headaches, gastrointestinal disorders, and tachypnea. Additionally, it increases the risk of developing anxiety, depression, insomnia, hypertension, and a weakened immune system. It can also lead to back and muscle pain, obesity, and heart disease.

The mental health implications of prolonged work pressure include difficulties in clear thinking and decreased concentration, which can lead to increased error rates on both the professional and personal levels. Work pressure may also trigger persistent anger, pessimism, frustration, and a lack of motivation. These emotions may lead to difficulties in coping with stress, frequent mood swings, and a desire for isolation. 

It is worth noting that individuals often face these problems due to improper approaches to handling work pressure. This can include adopting unhealthy habits to alleviate it, such as overeating, smoking, or other detrimental behaviours.

Strategies for managing work pressure and coping with it

In his book “Flashes of Wisdom”, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum advises, “Manage your time, know your properties, enjoy life, and leave your mark.” This quote emphasises the importance of achieving a work-life balance and provides guidance on attaining it.

Work stress has become a global phenomenon. Although it is challenging to avoid all sources of stress at work, there are effective strategies to manage them. These strategies include:

Identifying stressors and understanding response mechanisms

Identifying stressors at work and learning how to respond to them is essential for managing work pressure. One effective strategy is writing a diary for one to two weeks. In this diary, one can record the factors that led to feeling stressed, such as specific situations, people, or events, and how they were handled – whether through anger, patience, or unhealthy reactions and behaviours like overeating.

Some questions to address in the diary include: What were your thoughts when you felt stressed? What emotions did you experience? Where were you? Who was with you? What were the surrounding circumstances? And how did you behave? Analysing and reviewing this information can help develop better strategies for managing work stress and its effects.

Developing healthy coping techniques for stress relief

Many individuals tend to resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms when faced with work stress, such as frequent consumption of fast food, smoking, or social isolation. These negative responses can ultimately lead to physical and mental health problems over time.

Therefore, being aware of one’s coping mechanisms and choosing healthy and positive alternatives is essential. For example, stressed individuals can opt for nutritious food instead of fast food, engage in regular physical activity, ensure adequate sleep, and incorporate relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing regularly. They can also allocate time for hobbies and cultivate positive social relationships. These alternatives can significantly improve stress management. 

Setting healthy boundaries

Digital technology has significantly impacted individuals' ability to achieve a work-life balance. Through the constant connectivity and availability enabled by remote communication tools, people can be reached at any time and place.

While individuals have different preferences for integrating work and personal life, setting clear boundaries—such as rules for work-related communications, including receiving calls and responding to emails—can help mitigate the overlap between work and personal activities. This can reduce the stress and anxiety resulting from this overlap.

Prioritisation and mastering the art of time management

Time and task management skills help overcome procrastination, increase productivity, and consequently reduce stress and work pressure.

One of the effective time and task management strategies is to dedicate a portion of the morning to completing the most challenging or least enjoyable tasks. During this time, individuals are usually at their peak energy and focus levels, allowing them to tackle difficult tasks more efficiently. Completing these tasks early in the day can reduce psychological pressure and provide a sense of relief.

Additionally, creating a priority list at the beginning of the week, classifying tasks by importance and determining the required time frame for completion, can significantly improve task management and reduce stress related to them. 

Getting recharged

Employees need to recharge and rejuvenate occasionally to avoid the negative effects of work stress. One can recharge by utilising vacation days for relaxation, abstaining from work-related activities or thoughts for some time, and engaging in leisure activities. Taking a few days off for a vacation, taking a short break during a busy day to chat with a friend, listening to an interesting podcast, or browsing social media can help restore energy and reduce stress. 

Communicating with the supervisor

Establishing effective communication with one's supervisor to request support is advisable in some cases, as employees’ well-being is closely linked to productivity. Choosing the right moment to have a calm and constructive conversation with the supervisor about work-related stressors, rather than simply complaining, increases the chances of receiving effective support.

For example, an employee may ask their supervisor to reassess their workload expectations that extend beyond regular working hours, as excessive overtime can lead to fatigue.

Seeking social support

Seeking social support from trusted friends and family members when dealing with work pressures can positively impact one's mental well-being and enhance stress management abilities. Receiving valuable advice and various forms of support, as well as utilising any available resources or employee support programs, such as workplace counselling or stress management training programs, if available, can be highly beneficial. 

In conclusion, it is important to acknowledge that seeking professional psychological care becomes a necessity when self-help techniques for managing work stress are ineffective. This is not exclusive to individuals experiencing mental health disorders; even those without such conditions can benefit from a professional's expertise in diagnosing the underlying sources of their stress and providing effective coping mechanisms.

References 

[1] apa.org, Coping with stress at work
[2] healthline.com, How to Keep Work Stress from Taking Over Your Life
[3] betterhealth.vic.gov.au, Work-related stress
[4] mind.org.uk, How to be mentally healthy at work
[5] urmc.rochester.edu, Managing Work-Related Stress