Stress is a regular part of everyday life – every situation, conversation or event has the capacity to be stressful. Realizing that stress is all around us, we have the option to ignore it, reduce it, cope with it or use it. Depending on how you choose to respond and use your stress, it can build up and decrease our body’s physical and mental performance, leading to illness or lack of concentration or commitment to our goals. Fortunately, stress can be managed in order to improve productivity and performance.
What is Stress?
Stress is a condition or feeling which occurs when there is a perception that the demands of a situation exceed the personal resources that the individual is able to mobilize.
Although stress is often thought of as a negative word, having the capacity to reduce and cope with it will ensure that at times of great responsibility (stress) comes a great opportunity for performance. Being able to successfully adapt to such situations, by managing their stress and using the external environment to motivate them, is the technique that high performance athletes use to improve performance – they use their stress.
What causes Stress?
Social stressors – noise and crowding
Psychological stressors – anxiety and worry
Sociological stressors – pressure at work, a new job or a change in relationship
Biochemical or Physical stressors – injury, illness or intoxicants
Philosophical Stressors – results from a value-system conflict, or from a lack of direction or purpose in your life perspective
Signs and Symptoms of Stress:
- Headache or migraine
- Difficulty sleeping
- Difficulty concentration
- Irregular mood changes
- Anxiety, fear, worry
- Fatigue
- Increase in colds and infections
- Digestive problem
- Lack of enjoyment or sense of humour
- Depression or feelings of despair
The Stress Curve
Everyone has a level of stress that enables them to work at a high performance level. Up to a certain point, our performance improves with the amount of stress or arousal, but once over the peak of performance, we experience distress. Stress levels can be easily affected by both internal and external factors; it is up to you to know yourself and control these factors so you can be working at your peak performance level as much as possible.
[Source: Fit To Lead Newsletter, Queen's School of Business]
If you find yourself not motivated in the workplace, it is very possible that you have either too much stress or not enough. If it is too much, try to find ways to relax and reduce the stressors that exist. You might want to switch environments or focus on fewer things. If you realize that you do not have enough stress, you may want to set higher goals, ask for more responsibilities or broaden your horizons.
Tips to Reduce Stress:
- Recognize your symptoms of stress and see what can be changed – in your work, your family or individually
- Use relaxation techniques: yoga, meditation, deep breathing, or massage
- Exercise. Physical activity is one of the most effective stress remedies
- Manage your time. Do essential tasks and prioritize the others. Consider those who may be affected by your decisions, such as family and friends
- Watch your diet. Alcohol, caffeine, sugar, fats and tobacco all put a strain on your body’s ability to cope with stress. A diet with a balance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and foods high in protein but low in fat will help create optimum health. For more information on this, check Canada’s Food Guide at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/
- Get enough rest and sleep
- Talk with others. Talk with friends, co-workers, family members or enroll your own personal coach
- Leave yourself some time that’s just for you. Read a book, watch a movie, play a game, listen to music or go on vacation
- Work off your anger. Get physically active, dig in the garden, start a project, get your spring cleaning done
- Tackle one thing at a time. Don’t try to do too much at once
- Don’t try to be perfect
- Ease up on criticism of others
- Have some fun! Laugh and be with people you enjoy!
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