We all Need to Know how to Cope with Stress at Work

Pranab (name changed), is an IT professional. He is a sincere and dedicated person. He has recently become a dad and has opted to work from home to help out his wife with the baby. Unfortunately, he is not able to manage time to look after the baby along with his office work as most of the meetings overlap with the baby's timings. He is not able to enjoy being a dad and upset as he is not able to deliver his work on time.

Stress is an automatic physical, mental and emotional response to a challenging event. It is a normal part of everyone's life. When used positively, stress can lead to growth, action and change. But negative, long-term stress can lessen your quality of life.Certain factors tend to go hand-in-hand with work-related stress. Some common workplace stressors can be financial constraints, excessive workload, few opportunities for growth or advancement, work that is not engaging or challenging, lack of social support, not having enough control over job-related decisions and conflicting demands or unclear performance expectations to name a few. Chronic stress can result in anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure and can also contribute to health conditions such as depression, obesity, heart disease or drugs and alcohol abuse.

Working hard should not be confused with overworking at the expense of relationships and physical health.Everyone who has ever held a job has, at some point, felt the pressure of work-related stress. But when work stress becomes chronic, it can be overwhelming and harmful to both physical and emotional health.A few steps to manage work-related stress.

Some of the ways to manage stress

Track your stressors: Keep a journal for a week or two to identify which situations create the most stress and how you respond to them. Taking notes can help you find patterns among your stressors and your reactions to them.

Develop healthy responses: Instead of attempting to fight stress with fast food or alcohol, do your best to make healthy choices when you feel the tension rise. Exercise is a great stress-buster. Yoga can be an excellent choice. Actually any form of physical activity is beneficial. Also make time for hobbies and favorite activities. Getting enough good-quality sleep is also important for effective stress management.

Establish boundaries: In today's digital world, it is easy to feel pressure to be available 24 hours a day. Establish some work-life boundaries for yourself. Though people have different preferences when it comes to how much they blend their work and home life, creating some clear boundaries between these realms can reduce the potential for work-life conflict and the stress that goes with it.

Take time to recharge: To avoid the negative effects of chronic stress and burnout, we need time to replenish and return to our pre-stress level of functioning. That is why it is critical that you disconnect from time to time, in a way that fits your needs and preferences. Do not let your vacation days go to waste. When you are not able to take time off, get a quick boost by turning off your smartphone and focusing your attention on nonwork activities for a while.

Talk to your supervisor: Start by having an open conversation with your supervisor. The purpose of this is not to lay out a list of complaints, but rather to come up with an effective plan for managing the stressors you have identified, so you can perform at your best on the job. The other elements might include tapping into wellness resources, social support, improve your skills in areas such as time management, problem solvingor making changes to your physical workspace to make it more comfortable and reduce strain.

Get some support: Accepting help from trusted friends and family members can improve your ability to manage stress. Your employer may also have stress management resources available including online information, avail counselling, and referral to mental health professionalswho can facilitate you to manage stress and change unhealthy behavior.

By

Mr Deepankar Bhattacharjya

Life Skills & Soft Skills Trainer

MIND India

Ask Dr Sangeeta Goswami

Question: Now that I have started going to office everyday after the lockdowns are over, I keep feeling very anxious about getting COVID or falling sick. More so because I have young children at home and my elderly mother -in - law also stays with us.

Feeling scared and anxious about the uncertainty and change can be overwhelming. However, there are certain things we can do to address these feelings:

• Acknowledge that you are stressed. Accept that feeling that is making you uncomfortable

• Remember that you can choose how to respond to stressful situations.

• Remind yourself of challenges you have overcome before.

• Accepting that not all things will be in your control and to recognize that this too shall pass.

• Focus on taking it one day at a time. Pause and focus on the present moment.

• Stay connected to your loved ones.

• Try a relaxation or meditation technique. There are many in the net like deep breathing, yoga, meditation, tai chi, exercise and prayer.

• Take some alone time everyday to be with yourself. Use of positive statements, reminding yourself of your strengths and capabilities

• Ask for help if you need to.

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