Stress in the workplace

Stress in the workplace
Stress at work

We all need some pressure in our lives - it makes our work satisfying and helps us meet deadlines. But it's all about striking the right balance. Too much pressure without having the chance to recover causes stress, which can be damaging to our health.
Workplace stress is different for everyone - what is stressful for one person may not be stressful for another. It can depend on your personality type and how you have learned to respond to pressure.

Symptomsr
Work-related stress can cause both physical and emotional health problems. It can cause you to be more prone to physical symptoms such as:

headaches

muscular tension

backache and/or neck ache

tiredness and sleep problems

digestive problems

a raised heart rate

skin rashes

sweating

blurred visio

You may also be prone to psychological symptoms such as:

a lower sex drive (libido)

feeling that you can't cope

irritability and mood swings

disturbed eating patterns

finding it hard to concentrate

feeling less motivated
How do you know if you have work-related stress?
You may have already noticed some factors contributing to the way you feel. For example, you may feel that you:

often rush about, trying to be in too many places at once

miss breaks and take work home with you

don't have enough time for exercise, relaxation or spending time with your family
According to a study by The Work Foundation, nearly a third of working men say that the demands of their job interfere with their private life and nearly a quarter feel that their work has caused them to neglect their children.

Causesr
Work-related stress is also one of the biggest causes of sick leave.
There are a number of factors that can make you feel stressed at work, including:

poor working conditions

long working hours

relationships with colleagues

lack of job security

difficult jou
eys to and from work

the way the company is managed

mismatch between the requirements of the job and your own capabilities and needs

inflexible working hours

too much or too little responsibility
However, often there is no single cause of work-related stress. Although it can be triggered by sudden, unexpected pressures, it's often the result of a combination of stressful factors that build up over time.
Stress managementr
Self-helpr
It's impossible to escape pressure at work altogether, so you need to learn how to manage stress effectively. There are a number of ways you can reduce the negative impact of stress. Most of these involve taking a good look at how you function at work.
One of the most important factors in reducing stress levels is managing your time more effectively. Prioritize tasks, delegate where you can and make sure you don't take on more work than you can handle. Make sure you take regular breaks at work and try to finish one task before you begin another. Here are some other things that you can do yourself.

Make sure your work environment is comfortable. If it isn't, ask for help from your organization’s health and safety officer.

If possible, don't work long hours - sometimes projects need extra time, but working long hours over many weeks or months does not generally lead to more or better results at work.

Take a look at your relationships with your colleagues - do you treat each other with respect and consideration?

Find out if your organisation offers flexible working hours.
It's in everyone's interest to keep the workplace as stress-free as possible, and generally, organisations want to keep their employees happy and healthy. If companies have good work-life policies, employees are likely to be healthier and happier and so less likely to take time off work.
If you are suffering from work-related stress, it's important to talk directly to your manager about it. Your manager has a duty to take reasonable steps to try to resolve the problem. Explain how you are feeling and discuss your workload. If you find talking about your conce
s difficult, it may help to make notes during your discussion.
It's worth asking if your organisation has any policies on harassment, bullying or racism. What does your company consider acceptable? Find out how to challenge these policies from your human resources department and make sure you know what support there is for you if you decide to do this.
There are things you can do outside of work to help reduce your stress levels. These include the following.

Get enough exercise - this is known to reduce stress and can help you feel better. It's recommended that you do 30 minutes of exercise each day. Choose an activity you enjoy - a brisk walk is ideal.

Learn relaxation techniques - this can help you sleep better and relieve stress-related physical pains such as stomach pains and headaches. Ask your GP or your local library for details of classes where you can learn helpful techniques.

Talk about your stress with a friend or member of the family - this is a good way to get your worries off your chest. It can give you a fresh perspective and help to make stressful situations more manageable.

Don't drink too much alcohol or caffeine, or smoke. Instead of helping, these stimulants will increase your stress levels.

Eat regular meals and a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables.

At the end of each day, reflect on what you've achieved rather than worrying about future work. Don't be too hard on yourself and remember to take each day as it comes.
Our solutionr
Our Ultra shoulder wrap along with our other therapeutic wraps are use by employees and employers to help relieve levels of stress.
Our Ultra shoulder wrap fits perfectly around the neck and shoulders and offers a moist penetrating heat and the weight helps relieve the stress in the muscles. This can be worn around the house or as some companies now have these available for employees to use at their workstation at work.
Worksafe BC uses several of our shoulder wraps and here is a comment by one of their therapists, “The wraps are working out great. Staff really like them. And an added bonus for us is that we are also using them as a weight on their shoulders to help encourage them to keep their shoulders down and more relaxed!”.
We have also put together a few of our most popular products as a “Stress relieving first aid kit” at a special price.

www.wildflowersaromatherapy.com