Working Well

Stress is largely the emotional and physical strain caused by our response to pressure from the outside world.  It is a broad term that encompasses physical and mental reactions such as anxiety, exhaustion, frustration, irritability, an inability to concentrate, distress, despair, confusion, an increased heart rate and, in some cases, fear.

Most people are familiar with the word 'stress' as it can occur when we are overly concerned or anxious about something.  Though stress is the natural way the body reacts to 'stressors' in our day-to-day lives, it is not necessarily a negative phenomenon.  Some stress can be considered as a positive and is normal and necessary to perform work and other tasks in a satisfactory manner.  However, if stress is intense, continuous and repeated and if an individual finds that they are unable to cope, then stress can have adverse effects.

Left untreated, stress can lead to physical illness and psychological disorders, which can have a substantial impact on our daily lives as well as our performance in the workplace.  For this reason, there is a growing consensus amongst organisations and government that the experience of stress at work has not only undesirable consequences for the health and safety of individuals, but also for the pathology of the organisation.

Evidence suggests that there are particular vocations that are inherently stressful - such as emergency workers, healthcate professionals and teachers - but, in general, there are few working environments that are immune to stress.

Stress occurs as we are required to adapt to environmental changes and our bodies change accordingly through physical, mental and emotional responses.  People react in a variety of ways to different stressors, which can be categorised into external and internal factors.

External stressors
- Physical environment: noise, bright lights, heat, confined spaces 
- Social (human interaction): rudeness, bossiness or aggressiveness on the part of someone else
- Organisational: rules, regulations, deadlines, insufficient training
- Bullying, harassment and intimidation
- Daily hassles: commuting, misplacing keys, mechanical breakdowns

Internal stressors
- Lifestyle choices: caffeine, alcohol, sleep deprivation, overloaded schedule 
- Negative self-talk: pessimistic thinking, self-criticism, over-analysing
- Mind traps: unrealistic expectations, taking things personally, all-or-nothing thinking, exaggerating, rigid thinking
- Stressful personality traits: perfectionist, workaholic, pleaser

Long Term Effects of Stress
When people find themselves in a stressful situation, their body responds to stress by increasing the state of arousal and prepares for greater levels of action, which is part of the fight or flight response. This increase in energy comes from an increased heart rate, raised blood pressure, muscle tension and general physical and mental alertness.

If the stress continues, the body tries to cope another way and hormone levels and heart rate return to normal.  If the individual's attempt to cope with the stressful situation has been unsuccessful, often there can be a feeling of exhaustion.  When this occurs, physically and psychologically we become prone to illness and disease.

Should the stress continue and become overwhelming, behavioural changes may begin.  This can include increased smoking, alcohol and drug abuse and poor work performance.  The psychological changes include increased anxiety, depression, irritability, aggression and sleep disturbances. Chronic stress has even been linked to the development of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other conditions.

Burnout
Burnout is a term commonly used to describe the emotional and physical exhaustion experienced by people as a direct result of excessive work-related stress.  Burnout can cause significant physical, emotional and psychological damage to people. Burnout can occur for a number of reasons. Examples of some situations that can foster burnout include:

- Being responsible for critical decisions 
- Dangerous work situations 
- Repetitive or monotonous work 
- Long work hours or a change in shifts