Sign In
Managing and reducing stress levels.
04-04-2019
As many of us know, April 1st is known and celebrated internationally as April Fool’s Day, a day when it is considered socially acceptable to pull a prank on someone without any serious consequences.
Since 1992, April 1st also marks the start of Stress Awareness Month, a month which aims to increase the public’s knowledge of the causes and effects of stress, as well as provide helpful guidance on ways to manage and reduce stress.
Let’s begin …
Stress can be defined as ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them’ – HSE UK website.
Causes
Stress may be work-related or non-work-related.
HSE UK have identified 6 principal causes of work-related stress:
Demands – e.g. multiple challenging tasks that all require urgent attention
Control – e.g. not being given the flexibility to complete tasks in a way which best suits them
Support – e.g. not receiving adequate support from colleagues and managers
Relationships – e.g. being bullied at work
Role – e.g. not receiving clear information on their role and responsibilities
Change – e.g. not being informed of organisational changes and how their job may be affected
Non-work-related stress may be caused by the following:
Health issues
Unexpected life events
Personal relationship issues
Financial issues
Effects
Stress can cause many emotional, mental, physical and behavioural changes in the human body.
Emotional changes: (Source: NHS UK website)
Anxiety
Irritability
Self-esteem / self-worth issues
Feeling overwhelmed
Mental changes: (Source: NHS UK website)
Lack of concentration
Inability to make day-to-day decisions
Constant worrying
Racing thoughts
Physical changes: (Source: NHS UK website)
Insomnia
Constant tiredness
Feeling dizzy
Headaches
Muscular pain
Changes in eating habits (eating too much or too little)
Behavioural changes: (Source: NHS UK website)
Excessive drinking
Excessive smoking
Anger / irritability
Avoidance
Managing and reducing stress
I recently returned from a holiday to Cape Verde (or Cabo Verde as the locals say) where the islands’ life motto is ‘no stress’ – wouldn’t it be great if more people adopted this mindset? While I can attest that a holiday is an instant stress reliever, it is not always possible to drop everything and fly to warmer climes.
Here are some helpful tips to reduce stress: (Source: NHS UK website)
Exercise
Find the solution to the problem
Find a support network
Look after yourself
Learn a new skill or commit to a hobby
Avoid unhealthy habits and people
Learn to say 'NO!'
Volunteer
Manage your workload
Be positive
Concentrate on the things you can change
For more information on Managing and reducing stress levels. talk to Relaxa Posture Group
Enquire Now
More Blogs
List your company on FindTheNeedle.