Topic No. 1. “Professional stress. Mechanisms of accumulation of professional stress"

Occupational stress is a painful condition caused by work-related factors. For example, tension due to tasks, team atmosphere, excessive workload.

According to research, more than half of US workers experience occupational stress, 60% of the time. It has a detrimental effect on the worker’s body, and these can have both physiological and psychological consequences. For example, constant stress can lead to emotional disorders or cardiovascular disease.

What is occupational stress

Scientists divide stress into two types:

• Eustress, that is, productive stress, is a state in which our resources are mobilized, we overcome obstacles and learn something.
• Distress, that is, destructive stress, is harmful stress that destroys us.

Eustress is useful if it occurs rarely and we can control it - it is a state when we work at the limit of our capabilities for a short time. Distress, on the contrary, is harmful. This is a constant tension that we cannot overcome and which is gradually becoming the new normal. When we talk about professional stress, we usually mean these same types of stress, simply caused by some factors at work.

Read more: Signs of occupational stress

Preventive measures

You can eliminate the consequences of work stress, or you can try to prevent its occurrence. To do this, remember the following tips:

• always look for something “to your liking”, and not just for the sake of money, if it does not evoke an internal response in you;
• Don’t make work the only meaning of your life, even if it’s your favorite one. In addition to this, let you have a favorite hobby, and don’t forget to devote time to your loved ones and friends;
• take care of yourself: take care of your physical and mental health;
• develop flexibility in communicating with colleagues and superiors, learn to reduce the degree of internal tension;
• increase your self-esteem, improve your professional abilities, grow as a specialist;
• do not try to find happiness or salvation in work - it is only part of a full life;
• Be open to the world, develop an optimistic mindset - and then you will most likely never know what burnout is at work!

Why does professional stress occur?

To cope with stress, you need to figure out why you have it in the first place. There are several common reasons for this.

Labour Organization.

When a company has complex bureaucratic procedures and you don't always understand what they mean, it can be annoying. It’s bad if the situation constantly gets worse and negatively affects the results of your work.

The solution in this situation may be your initiative - for example, proposals for optimizing processes that you test and present to management.

Team atmosphere.

It’s difficult to work if you have to think not only about the results of the project and processes, but also what a toxic colleague will say or whether the manager is in a good mood. The solution is either to take the situation into your own hands and change relationships in the team, or change the team.

Leader's rejection.

Our psyche is structured in such a way that we cannot consider a person an authority simply because he is a boss. If a boss demonstrates incompetence, we resist his decisions. And this tension leads to stress.

If the stress is related to your manager, there are two options. It is worth trying to get to know the person better and understand his motives. Perhaps he makes some decisions not because of low qualifications, but under the influence of external factors or pressure from customers. If you really can’t get along with your boss, it’s better to change projects and work with a person you respect as a professional.

Little meaning in work.

Another reason why knowledge workers often burn out. The fact is that we do not always immediately see the results of our work. For example, a company is testing a new direction - an employee works successfully, but the experiment is considered financially unprofitable and is not implemented. As a result, the work is done well, but there is no tangible result - this is demotivating and causes stress.

A lot of work.

No matter how hard a person tries to master the art of productivity or time management tools, there is a limit to everything. We can perform feats of labor from time to time, but if overwork becomes the norm, gradually the body begins to fail and professional stress sets in. And then there are its health consequences.

Of course, in an ideal world, it’s easy to get rid of professional stress - you need to change jobs, find a place where you have to work less, with a good team and a real leader in management. In reality, everything is more complicated. But here's what you can definitely do.

The effects of stress on the body and psyche: negative and positive

It may sound strange, but there is an opinion that stress in the workplace has a positive effect - supposedly, it increases the productivity of the activity performed.

However, here we should immediately make a reservation - we are talking about the first stage of the condition, at which the body is still full of strength, then stress can really invigorate and stimulate you to work better. But everything, as they say, is good within reason: when professional stress drags on and moves to the second and third stages, you can’t do without negative consequences. Tension has both physiological and psycho-emotional consequences. Let's look at both categories in more detail.

Psychological changes include the following symptoms:

• the labor process begins to become burdensome, job satisfaction disappears;
• a person experiences severe fatigue during working hours;
• Concentration and memory deteriorate due to which mistakes are constantly made in work;
• the positive attitude and sense of humor disappear;
• often suffer from migraines;
• Relationships with colleagues and family members become worse;
• irritability and aggression occur;
• goals no longer seem clear, life guidelines are lost;
• a state of apathy and depressive disorders arise.

As for the physical consequences , they are even more frightening:

• the likelihood of cardiovascular disease increases significantly;
• there is a decrease in immune defense, a person begins to get colds and viral illnesses more often;
• sleep disturbances occur: insomnia, increased drowsiness, nightmares;
• the condition of hair and skin noticeably worsens;
• back pain appears;
• significant weight changes are possible: sudden weight loss or gain of extra pounds;
• the digestive tract suffers: stomach pain, gastritis, nausea, vomiting, peptic ulcer occur;
• The nervous system is also influenced: anxiety increases, mental disorders develop, panic attacks, etc.

This list can be continued with other unpleasant consequences. It’s not for nothing that psychologists come to the conclusion that the causes of all physical ailments lie in our heads. And the connection between negative emotions and diseases is studied by the science of psychosomatics.

Contact us for support

Zhanna Segal, Ph.D. and founder of the nonprofit psychological assistance community HelpGuide, recommends not forgetting the importance of supporting loved ones. Support and empathy from others, especially in person, can be a very effective way to let off steam and restore a sense of calm. The main thing is to immediately explain to your interlocutors that you do not require any specific help from them - they just need to be good listeners.

The opposite is also important - if you share problems with loved ones, be prepared to listen to them in return. Offer help first, don't wait for the person to contact you.

Causes of work stress

The development of stress is influenced by such factors.

Physiological

• poor nutrition (untimely, inadequate);
• inconvenient work schedule.

Physical factors:

• harmful working conditions;
• very polluted atmosphere;
• incessant noise;
• continuous vibration, etc.

Organizational factors:

• increased pace of work;
• unclear distribution of responsibilities;
• short deadlines for completing tasks;
• monotone.

Social and psychological factors include:

• personal conflicts;
• overload;
• poor relationship with the team.

Take care of your nutrition and physical condition

When you are overly focused on work, you may not take care of your health. But it is proper nutrition and exercise that can make you stronger and more resilient to stress. Self-care does not require major lifestyle changes. Even little things can lift your mood and increase your energy levels.

See also: How to increase stress resistance

Find time for regular exercise.

There are studies that show that literally half an hour of active walking or running a day is enough to feel better.

Try to eat right

, saturate your diet with meat and a lot of different vegetables. Eating small, frequent, healthy meals helps the body maintain consistent blood sugar levels. This maintains your energy and concentration and prevents mood swings.

Minimize your intake of sugar and fast carbohydrates.

Soft wheat pasta, potatoes, pizza, white bread, sweets - all these are simple carbohydrates that lead to obesity and reduce energy levels.

How to manage your stress?

Self-regulation under work stress is a valuable skill, without which even a good professional can hardly count on a successful state of affairs at work. Those who know how to control themselves and manage stress situations are always more successful.

What makes such people different?

They know their strengths and weaknesses well, behave constructively , show patience, can restrain themselves in time, and stop the growing emotional explosion. Maintain good composure in any situation.

How does a person with a developed self-regulation system think?

• What's the point of blaming anyone: others, yourself?
• Why suffer from remorse?
• And how will this help solve the situation?
• Is it humane and beneficial to take aggression out on others?

Naturally not. I lose a lot with this behavior, gaining nothing. The situation is not being resolved. But working relationships are destroyed, I lose the respect of my colleagues, and I lose important connections.

It is worth learning a simple thing: to be able to see the increase in tension in time . And stop yourself in time. There is still a correct, unclouded understanding of the situation. As long as there is self-control. Any situation can be resolved peacefully, calmly, without getting personal.”

Avoid bad habits

Some people smoke as “self-medication,” supposedly to relieve feelings of stress. However, studies have shown that smoking actually increases anxiety and tension.

The problem is that nicotine does relax you at first, but only for a few moments. Then withdrawal symptoms set in and food cravings increase. To relieve these symptoms, the person smokes again, and everything repeats. As a result, stress only grows, and by the evening cigarettes do not help even for a few moments.

Alcohol is even worse - it causes the production of cortisol, which only increases tension in the body and prevents it from relaxing on a physiological level. Moreover, researchers have linked increased cortisol levels in the body with the development of metabolic disorders and mental disorders such as depression.

When you feel tense and notice symptoms of occupational stress, it is better to first stop smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages. They will only make the problem worse.

How does emotional burnout develop?

Emotional burnout-stress in professional activity develops according to the following scenario:

1. The first stage is an increase in tension . A person changes his usual behavior, which affects all areas of life.
2. The second stage is stress . Loss of strength, low performance, loss of motivation, self-control, lack of awareness of actions.
3. The third stage is a reduction in internal tension . It’s as if the person awakens, habitual behavior and thinking returns, and corrects the mistakes made.

The stages of stress manifest themselves differently for each worker, depending on the individual characteristics of the person. The scenario depends on the following factors:

• frequency of exposure - some are exposed to stress once a year for a month, others - once a week, but for a day;
• form of manifestation – aggressive behavior towards others or behavior without changes;
• the direction of aggression - some people blame others for their troubles, and the second part blame themselves, invisible to prying eyes, “eating” themselves from the inside.

It should be noted that the stress mechanism works automatically, against human desire.

Start the day with a positive attitude

Elizabeth Scott, MD and author of the psychological portal VeryWellMind, reminds us of the benefits of morning rituals. It is unlikely that we will have a positive attitude towards life if we spend every morning fighting traffic jams and being content with coffee instead of a healthy breakfast.

Instead, try getting up early and preparing a healthy breakfast. There is no need to come up with some amazing and complex dishes, just scrambled eggs and fruit are enough. If possible, leave home early and get to work without traffic jams. Or try replacing the car with the metro - without the hassle of travel, your mood will definitely be better in the morning.

Elizabeth Scott's key conclusion about the impact of morning on professional stress is that the less we worry in the morning, the better we feel during working hours and the more difficult it is for stress to overcome our good mood.

The most stressful professions

Stress is a constant in almost all workplaces. This is noted by the majority of people who participated in the sociological survey. According to scientists, the first group of the most stressful professions includes high-ranking military personnel and contract workers , firefighters and representatives of civil aviation.

Professional stress

The second group includes people whose work is related to the public and information, these are event coordinators, PR directors, managers, correspondents, and police officers. The highest level of tension is observed in government organizations, where there is a high level of staff turnover.

Stress Relief Techniques

How to overcome stress? It has already become a tradition in enterprises and offices to organize corporate parties. This is a great way to relax, get to know your colleagues better, and build relationships with them. However, holidays are rare, and during working hours, stress in the activities of the manager and ordinary employees occurs every day. Therefore, there are a number of methods that allow you to relieve stress on any working day:

• Before leaving home for work, you need to do several breathing exercises and drink herbal tea with mint, lemon balm or chamomile at breakfast.
• Breathing exercises help calm your nerves at work. As soon as psychological discomfort appears, you can do exercises with slower exhalation. To do this, you need to take a deep breath, count to yourself to two, then slowly exhale, counting to four. Once you get used to this exercise, you can count 3:6 or 4:8 while breathing. Exercise relaxes muscles and normalizes heart function.
• Changing activities relieves mental stress. You can find five minutes every two hours to distract yourself by drawing or listening to music. During your lunch break, it is better to leave the work area. Then stress will disappear and performance will increase.
• It is very important to maintain friendly relations with colleagues and communicate with them on topics remote from work. And it is better to minimize communication with people who cause hostility, trying to follow the rules of politeness.
• After work, you can relieve stress by walking in the park. You need to completely free your head from thoughts about work and problems, you can watch people, nature, birds, take photos. You can take a contrast shower at home.

A short break to music will relieve stress

Stress and performance of a manager

Stress in a manager’s work occurs very often and is difficult to avoid. Young specialists who have just assumed a leadership position are especially affected. The following organizational stress factors can be identified:

1. The need for constant monitoring of employee performance.
2. Responsibility for the performance of all employees.
3. Material liability.
4. Low motivation of subordinates.
5. Discrepancy between the effort expended and the result obtained.
6. Excessive demands from top management.
7. Lots of paperwork.
8. Interpersonal conflicts with business partners and employees.
9. Condemnation by subordinates of the work, actions, and personal qualities of the leader.

With constant nervous tension, the performance of a manager decreases. He cannot organize the work process normally and often lashes out at his subordinates. This worsens the overall atmosphere in the organization.

Managerial stress negatively affects the performance of the entire enterprise.