stress lavoro correlato

Work-related stress: 10 causes + 1 solution to manage it.

A few days ago I was spending a nice evening with friends, we had just returned from a beautiful day at the beach and were enjoying a chat on the terrace. Just when time seemed to have stopped at the mercy of the lightness of the moment, I hear the buzzing of a mosquito ringing in my ear. Initially I try to push her away, she moves away for a few seconds but keeps coming back insistently. The whispering is constant and disturbing, and the annoying insect seems to have no desire to leave. So I get up annoyed from my deck chair, watch the late hour and get ready to go home. I went to bed irritated, despite having spent a whole day of relaxation and fun.
I realized only after a few days that that mosquito was the perfect representation of Stress: even if we do a job that we are passionate about and fulfilled, we still cannot feel unfocused, irritable and confused.

Confucius said, “Do what you love and you will not work a single day of your life.” So far he was right, but unfortunately, the mosquito can come to disturb us even in a work setting where we do what we are passionate about and what puts us in a position to exploit our talents and skills. Indeed, work is a very influential factor in our lives, and it is not always easy to reconcile private and work life.

 

What is Work-Related Stress?

The 2004 European Agreement defines Work-Related Stress (LCS) as a:

A condition, accompanied by physical, mental, psychological, or social suffering or dysfunction, that arises from a feeling of not being able to meet demands or not living up to expectations

SLC can, therefore, be defined as the condition in which demands from the external environment are perceived by the individual as exceeding his or her own resources: workers feel a condition of stress when they do not feel able to match the demands or expectations placed on them.

Stress is a reaction that affects everyone: it is activated both internally by putting us in the condition of “being able to do well,” and externally, that is, what others ask me to do. This circumstance allows us to “control and make connections with our environment” and reflects adaptation to a demand that arises at any point in life.

Types of stress  

We often attribute a purely negative meaning to stress, but the truth is that there is also “good” stress called Eustress: it is that which motivates us to improve our productivity and achieve our goals. Negative stress, called Distress, on the other hand, is that which makes us doubt ourselves by questioning from the outset the possibility of failing to achieve a particular goal. In addition, it makes us fall into the paradox of “if I don’t do it, I don’t risk failing.” 

In conclusion, it should be said that different people react differently to similar situations that may also depend on the circumstances an individual is experiencing at that specific moment. Usually we are able to sustain short-term exposure to stressful conditions, both positive and negative.

When stress becomes distress?

Hans Selye, a Swiss physician who focused his studies on stress, defined it as a “specific response of the organism to any demand made on it” and distinguished 3 phases: 

  1. alert: the subject reports the excess of duties and sets in motion resources to fulfill them; 
  2. resilience: the subject stabilizes his condition and adapts to the new tenor of demands; 
  3. exhaustion: the subject at this stage there is a drop in defenses and the subsequent appearance of physical, physiological and emotional symptoms.  

If the stimulus or level of activation is too high or if the strategies used to respond to the environment are not adequate, then the individual may experience distress.

In fact, stress “is not a disease, but a prolonged situation of tension that can reduce mental efficiency at work and can result in poor health.”  

 

Let’s talk about risks: what can occur relative to Work-Related Stress? 

Reactions to work-related stress can be different: some will seek an escape from daily tasks, others will lower their work performance or, worse, they may experience difficulties in relating to colleagues and the work environment.  

A stressed manager may make more mistakes than usual, and by lowering his ability to make decisions, he will be less likely to motivate his employees. This will cause a decrease in his effectiveness as well as numerous relational problems. On the other hand, one who takes a runaway attitude will be more likely to take prolonged breaks, in this case decreasing efficiency and increasing the chance of injury risk.   

There is evidence that under conditions of prolonged stress the perception of risk is lowered, as cognitive abilities are reduced: attention, memory, and concentration decrease. Consequently, the number of mistakes and the assessment of dangerous consequences related to a specific situation also inevitably increases.  

Our mind can make mistakes, consequently the perception of risk can also be incorrect: an altered perception of reality leads to an incorrect perception of risk.   

 

What jobs and environments have the highest risk of stress? 

Work-related stress is among the most common causes of illness for workers, affecting more than 40 million individuals in Europe alone. According to data from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living & Working Conditions, the economic costs related to SLC amount to 20 billion euros. In Italy, the situation is also critical: 1 in 4 workers believe they suffer from work-related stress. 

According to one of the conceptual model that have been most successful in recent years, it is more likely that high levels of stress, resulting in disorders and illness, will occur in those occupations where there are:  

  1. high psychological stresses associated  
  2. poor decision-making ability
  3. inadequate support from both the working group and the social context  

The main causes identified by occupational safety managers, stem from factors related to the work environment and/or the content of the tasks to be performed, in which we find various stressors (also called Stressors).

The most common stressors by context

poor coomunication; ; low levels of support for problem solving and personal development; poor professional goal setting

role ambiguity; role conflict; responsibility for other people 

Lack of career development; insufficient or excessive promotions; inadequate pay; insecurity of employment 

Poor level of participation in the company’s decision-making processes; poor level of control over the work done 

Physical or social isolation; limited relationships with superiors; interpersonal conflicts; lack of social support 

Tensions arising from the family context or more generally from private life and affecting the work situation 

The most common stressors for tasks

Poor lighting; excessively high or low temperatures; inadequate ventilation; drafts; inadequate space; poor sanitation

Lack of variety of tasks; repetitiveness and monotony; little opportunity to learn; boring tasks

Overwork or underwork; lack of control over work pace; high levels of time pressure

Shift work; excessively long shifts; work schedules that are rigid, unpredictable, or alter social rhythms

allontanare-stress-lavoro-correlato

Understanding Stress with Biofeedback 

To gain a little more insight into the psychophysical dynamics we all experience on a daily basis, Biofeedback is able to measure in real time the various bio-physiological parameters that are activated when we are exposed to an external stimulus perceived as stressful. Through the use of sensors, this system analyzes the main parameters that are automatically activated the moment a Stress reaction is triggered in the face of an event. These are:  

  • Heart Rate (HR): the pulse rate of the heart increases 
  • Peripheral Temperature (T) of the skin, mucous membranes and muscles vary  
  • The Muscle Tone (MT): muscles contract and increase their tension  
  • Skin Conductance (GSR): continuous changes in the electrical characteristics of the skin, such as as as a result of sweating 
  • Cerebral Activity (EEG): cognitive ability decreases. 

The main problem with these reactions is that when their activation is prolonged over time it brings a number of negative consequences first and foremost at the physiological level. 

 
To deal the stress with deep relaxation techniques 

When we are stressed, the first way to defuse these harmful mechanisms is to intervene on the very physical level. Some deep relaxation techniques are able to lower muscle contractions by reducing energy expenditure. Finding landmarks about one’s optimal state of physical relaxation allows us to be more aware of our tense situation (e.g., contracting the shoulders, jaw, curving the posture, blocking the breath, and closing the mouth of the stomach). This method prevents negative emotions from taking root. 

Brain waves

On the mental level, on the other hand, our stress is measured by sensors that detect brain activity by highlighting the frequency and power of Brain Waves, which is the electrical activity generated by our neurons that changes according to the state we are in. There are four main Brain Waves:  

  • Beta Waves are the typical waves that correspond to normal daily, work and relationship activities; their frequency under stress tends to increase, affecting the way we think, evaluate events, identify dangers and see solutions, as well as the way we make decisions.  
  • Alpha Waves allow our minds to rebalance, detach, and recover functions that were otherwise foreclosed, such as intuition, imagination, and creative problem solving.  
  • Theta Waves are able to further lower the brain frequency, making psychophysical recovery possible and putting us in touch with the dimension in which we operate our choices. In this way we constantly increase awareness of the true criteria for which we act.  
  • Delta Waves are those that characterize the dreamless stages of deep sleep 

 

Conclusion: how should we deal with the mosquito? 

Achieving a positive work environment that fosters dialogue can bring out issues, resolve internal conflicts and promote a proactive culture. It increases openness to others, sharing and collaboration, fostering a better distribution of workloads and decision-making responsibilities. Conversely, unfavorable work environments have repercussions on physical health and also on personality: the extrovert becomes less open to others, and the introvert, on the other hand, becomes even more closed in on himself. 

 Deep relaxation techniques can provide us with the tools to: 

  • Improve the capacity for deep self-relaxation, for fast recovery of physical and nervous energies; 
  • Positively reconnect one’s Professional Self-perception, which is sometimes severely tested, even in motivational terms; 
  • Reactivate one’s best mental attitudes in Interpersonal Relationships to manage them optimally even in situations of high work pressure. 

 

What should I do when the mosquito comes to bother me again? 

When we sense that something is about to disturb our serenity, we must learn to re-establish that internal condition that allows us to remain calm, shutting out all those external disturbing elements from ourselves.  

In short, we must let the mosquito out of the window of our mind. 

Lo stress può influire sulle prestazioni e migliorarle?

La risposta è sì!

Ci sono delle tecniche efficaci per imparare a riconoscere i vari tipi di Stress, volte soprattutto a capire come gestirlo e come sfruttarlo per migliorare le tue prestazioni sotto Stress comunicando di più e meglio.

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