The journey out of post pandemic lockdown through the current economic climate has contributed in a large way to the manner in which many people perceive their chances of advancement and, in many cases, just maintaining their current position, which is a job.
In this blog post, I will identify the causes of workplace stress and provide solutions designed to make you a happier and more productive person.
Read on.
In today’s performance oriented and solution-driven workforce, the pressure to provide results on a consistent basis has never been greater. Successful achievement in this pressurised environment requires those at the top and those who are trying to get there to maintain and exhibit a variety of skills, including attitude, focus, and concentration, as well as staying motivated through the highs and lows that accompany such pursuits.
Some of the key factors that impact a corporate athlete’s ability to maintain such lofty heights are elements related to self-talk, the degree to which one manages their emotions and anxiety, and the acumen deployed when engaged in cultivating sustainable relationships.
While a top-performing athlete’s career may be limited in time and therefore create pressures unknown to those who never achieve such immeasurable heights, there are similarities to that of a top performer in the corporate world, with perhaps one glaring difference. The corporate athlete may indeed have a career spanning 25 to 40 years. This career, while likened by many to a marathon, has a rhythm that is unpredictable and ever changing, consisting of sprints, hurdles, and heavy lifting. I refer in large measure to the activity that is carried out on an emotional and mental plane.
Stress is the cause of or the result of most psychological and many physical maladies experienced by people in the modern world. If not handled properly, stress can lead to sleep disorders, a lack of concentration, a decrease in motivation leading to a decrease in output, and an increase in blood pressure leading to an increase in potential risks for heart disease and ulcers.
Typical causes of stress at work
• Bullying or harassment, by peers and/or managers
• Feeling powerless and uninvolved in determining one’s own responsibilities
• Continuous unreasonable performance demands
• Lack of effective communication and conflict resolution
• Lack of job security
• Long working hours
• Excessive time away from home and family
• Office politics and conflict among staff
• A feeling that one’s reward is not commensurate with one’s responsibility
• Working hours, responsibilities and pressures disrupting life-balance (diet, exercise, sleep and rest, play, family-time, etc.)
Factors influencing the effects of stress and stress susceptibility
A person’s susceptibility to stress can be affected by any or all of these factors, which means that everyone has a different tolerance to stress factors. And in respect of certain of these factors, stress susceptibility is not fixed, so each person’s stress tolerance level changes over time:
• Childhood experience (abuse can increase stress susceptibility)
• Personality (certain personalities are more stress-prone than others)
• Genetics (particularly inherited ‘relaxation response’, connected with serotonin levels, the brain’s ‘well-being chemical’)
• Immunity abnormality (as might cause certain diseases such as arthritis and eczema, which weaken stress resilience)
• Lifestyle (principally poor diet and lack of exercise)
Solutions for Corporate Stress
During the last several years, personal development in the workplace has been largely credited as a viable solution for relieving the strains and stress caused by anxiety that individuals experience.
A mental skills training programme designed to alleviate and, in some cases, eliminate these negative forces consists of guided imagery, psychological skills training, and cognitive application, leading to a level of mental toughness that often makes the difference between meeting targets and falling short of corporate goals.
Through custom designed programs that include relaxation techniques, confidence building, esteem building, and teaching positive self talk, stress management has been empowering people from a variety of chosen careers to better cope with the stress associated with surviving and thriving in the corporate environment.
The ability to maintain a positive outlook and focused concentration, as well as the proper management of emotions and anxiety, require mental toughness that is sustainable, adaptive, and coherent. The business leader is charged with managing their own well-being so as to be able to manage the responsibilities of being a successful corporate athlete.
If you want help sorting out what is possible versus what is probable, please click here and set up a free 30 minute meeting, and I’ll tell you if I can help.
Here’s to mastering your stress.
The Stress Master
Ches Moulton
About Ches Moulton, The Stress Master
Ches Moulton, a certified stress management consultant, is the UK’s leading authority on stress management. His career has spanned more than 25 years, during which time he has been a much sought-after executive coach, psychotherapist, and trainer. His most recent work has been about helping people with high levels of stress solve their problems and live productive lives without the physical and mental effects of long-term stress.
During his time as a business performance consultant, Ches has served as an advisor to both private businesses and government in Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Africa, and the Middle East. He is the author of ‘How to Get Control of Your Stress: Instead of Stress Controlling You’, and the international best-seller ‘Choice and Change: How to Have a Healthy Relationship with Ourself and Others’.
For more information… including videos, resources to download, and an opportunity to join Ches when he is live, please visit him at thestressmaster.com
