Tag Archives: Stress

Oct22

Do you need a break?

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Do you need a break?

How long ago have you taken a break? And I don’t mean for lunch or coffee. I mean a mental break where you relax and decompress without your work laptop present or your phone on call. I get it, you’re busy, you’re important, you’re indispensable at work. People rely on you. You can’t stop now. You’re a trooper.

Stress can slowly creep up on you if you’re not careful. I can cause you to age faster, remember less, get sick more often, and be less focused.

“But I feel fine”, you say. “I’m doing great”, you say. Do you recognize the signs of being stressed? And it’s not only a feeling, stress has physical signs as well. Ask yourself these questions to know if you need a break.

Do I have too much on my plate?
Are you one of the people who try to do too much? Do you find yourself saying ‘yes” a lot? Does work, friends, family, social obligations, errands, and classes have your schedule maxed out? Learn to say no and to prioritize. Stop trying to achieve work-life balance. It is a myth. Create a life that is yours to live and don’t get swayed by other people’s standards of what a balanced life looks like. Do 5 minutes of meditation, instead of 30. Buy the cupcakes for that PTA event, instead of baking them yourself. Make one night takeout night, instead of spending all night, every night cooking dinner. Don’t say yes to every co-worker’s request…for help on a project, for drinks after work, for their kid’s birthday party… Get your groceries delivered instead of risking a toddler meltdown at aisle 5. You get the idea…

Do I look ok?
First things first. You’re beautiful. You’re handsome. You’re all that. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I’m not talking about looks for the sake of vanity. I’m asking if you’re showing physical signs of stress. Things like:

● Do you have bags under your eyes?
● Is your skin blotchy or prone to breakouts?
● How’s your hair? All there or losing some (or a lot)?
● Are you prone to colds and other seasonal illnesses?
● Do you have trouble focusing or remembering things?
● Are you losing/gaining weight?

Stress can cause sleep deficiency, weight fluctuations, and a lower immunity. Look long and hard in the mirror.

Do I get to go out?
You know you need a night out, right? By yourself or with friends. You need it if your only form of “socialization” is getting on social media. You need a night out if the only “catch-up” you’re doing with friends is browsing and commenting on their Instagram pictures. You need it if your only friends right now are your cats and dogs. You need a night out if you’re done watching seven seasons of five different series and are thinking of starting 5 more. Make plans, right now!

How do you know when you need a break? Share your stress ‘tells’ with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard.

Jun4

Stress and the Workplace

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Stress and the Workplace

Our bodies have a pre-programmed response to stress. It has a built-in safety system that, in the olden days, was meant to protect us against predators and life-threatening situations, such as bushfires and tornadoes. This is our fight or flight response, and it is a natural and healthy response to any perceived threat.

Under stress, our bodies produce the hormone adrenaline to increase our heart rate and elevate our blood pressure. This makes sure we have enough energy supply. Cortisol is also produced to increase blood sugar and shut down deemed non-essential bodily functions that will hinder our reaction time, such as suppressing our immune system, reproductive system, and digestive system.

Times are different now. We don’t have to worry about bushfires or wolves trying to eat us. What we have now is a different kind of stress altogether. And it is just as dangerous.

Our stress response usually shuts down and returns to normal after the perceived stress is over. So, bodily functions go back to normal once that small kitchen fire is put out, or when you finally find that phone you thought you lost.

However, when you are constantly being bombarded by stressors your fight or flight response is always turned on, stress hormones are constantly being produced, and your bodily processes become disrupted. Your body thinks it is under attack and puts you in a prolonged fight or flight mode.

An example of constant stress is stress in the workplace. We spend ⅓ of our adult lives at work. That, (for most people) is 8 hours of each day at the office. It is like a second home, and so it would make much sense to try to keep the workplace a safe zone for everyone.

Situations happen when the workplace no longer feels like a safe zone for an employee. Some situations that can be deemed stressful and can be considered a cause excessive stress are: an employee being “exposed to a traumatic event in the workplace if the employee experiences violence, harassment, or bullying while at work, and unreasonable expectations from the employee.”

Excessive workplace stress is one major culprit of anxiety and depression. It can have serious repercussions on an employees health and wellbeing. If you are experiencing serious excessive workplace stress, talk to your HR or a trusted manager. If you feel like you have to explore other alternatives, you can read about other options here.

I’ve written about how to manage stress, here, and here. Stress is always present but it need not be chronic. Otherwise, your health will suffer. Prolonged stress compromises your immune system and makes you prone to a host of problems like anxiety, headaches, obesity, heart disease, and memory impairment, among others. It is always best to keep stress to a minimum and learn how to manage it.

How do you handle stress at the workplace? Share your best tips with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.

References:
https://www.hoganinjury.com/excessive-workplace-stress/
https://thehelpbyastrids.com/stress-be-gone/
https://thehelpbyastrids.com/a-mind-full-of-light/

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help