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Occupational stress - causes, symptoms, coping strategies

What is occupational stress? 

Occupational stress is referred to as ongoing or progressive stress on employees due to the responsibilities,  conditions, environment and other pressures of the workplace. These types depend on the individual employee, their job role, the company culture and many other factors.

Causes of occupational stress 

Long working hours 

Heavy workload 

Job insecurity 

Over supervision

Lack of proper resources 

Discrimination 

Harassment 

Poor relationships with colleagues 

Boring work at office 

Tight deadlines 

Changes within the organizational settings

Symptoms of occupational stress are:

The signs and symptoms of occupational stress are under three categories physical, psychological and behavioral.

Physical symptoms include:

Headache 

Heart palpitations 

Fatigue 

Muscular tension 

Sleeping difficulties

Gastrointestinal upsets, such as constipation 

Physiological symptoms include:

Irritability 

Pessimism

Depression 

Anxiety 

Discouragement 

Cognitive difficulties, like reduced concentration & inability to make decisions 

Being unable to cope 

Behavioral symptoms:

Aggression

Isolation 

Mood swings 

Problems with interpersonal relationships 

Disinterest 

Diminished creativity & initiative 

How to cope with occupational stress? 

Relaxation methods - due to exposure to work for long hours,  more stress may affect both mind as well as mind, that is lethal can lead to health problems. Relaxation can help you keep calm, that inturn helps in management of stress and ease the effects of stress on the body. When you feel stress,  body responds by releasing hormones that increase blood pressure and raise persons heart rate. This is called the stress response.Relaxation techniques can help body relax and lower blood pressure and heart rate. This is called a relaxation response. There are several exercises you can try. See which ones work best for oneself.

Problem - solving - this method involves identifying stressors and creating strategies to manage them. It's a powerful tool to add to stress management toolbox. It's better to identify the problem before one can successfully solve it. Be specific and focus on issue, take time to analyze the problem. One can not change everything so it's best to focus on issues that can realistically change and that will make a real difference in the level of stress.

Mindfulness -  mindfulness practice can translate the operations of the mind into the physiology and affect thus enabling the practitioner decouple perception from reality. Another way to cultivate mindfulness in life at work place is to think differently about an activity that we do routinely.

Reappraising negative thoughts - Negative emotions are also the result of our thoughts surrounding an event; the way we interpret what happened can alter how we experience the event and whether or not it causes stress.Regular exercise can provide an emotional lift as well as an outlet for negative emotions at work place and daily life. Meditation can help to find some inner "space" to work with, so our emotions don’t feel so overwhelming. Find opportunities for having more fun and getting more laughter in your life can also change our perspective and relieve stress.


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