Longevity: Stress in the Workplace
We live in a world that can cause stress – such as overwork, job security and money woes. It’s therefore not a surprise that many people are feeling the effects of stress.
As much as R3 billion a year is being lost to workplace stress. At a time when employers need staff to power companies out of the financial crisis with increased productivity, employees are crumbling - disempowered by stress. According to the UN International Labour Organization, occupational stress is a "global epidemic."
Sixty percent of lost workdays each year could be attributed to stress; whilst around 80% of visits to health care providers are due to stress-related conditions, like sleep problems, depression and irritability; causing higher health care costs. Stressed employees tend to make mistakes and be less creative too.
South Africans lead stressful lives and need to start looking at valuing themselves – whether achieving emotional wellbeing through self worth, confidence and happiness or physical wellbeing through activity, nutrition and good life choices.
Ask yourself, where am I now on the Wellness scale? What stops me from spending time on myself?
Ignoring the importance of wellness can lead to stress and affect work, relationships and finances. We expect a lot from our bodies and minds and a healthy respect for these will help to attain longevity. Am I at a crossroads in my life? Do I need to create new habits, to increase my sense of wellbeing?
I define longevity as “longer than the average life”. Aging is determined by many factors like genetics, hormones and lifestyle. With the average life expectancy in SA for women being just over 48 years, and men 50 years, we must do all we can to prolong our lives!
What is your body telling you right now? Giving “time out” to focus on yourself is critical if you want to increase your life span.
How well are you watching your diet? How organised are you? If you plan your life for today and then work your plan, you will ease the stress in your life. If you don’t have regular check ups for high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, mammogram and pap smear you are creating possible threats to your life expectancy. What disciplines must you put in place to achieve this?
Life Skills Coaching has assisted people to focus on themselves, giving “time out” to turn thoughts into actions by setting realistic goals and walking with the coach on a journey of self discovery. Does that talk to longevity – absolutely!
A recent client of mine, Mary*, a management accountant and business analyst, was suffering from stress at work, leading to days off due to illness and loss of confidence and productivity. Her boss was putting more and more demands on her and she was just not coping. One of the goals she set was “to equip me with the tools to deal with inner turmoil”. Once Mary identified that she was creating her own panic, she was able to put tools in place to deal with it. She set boundaries for herself, thinking strategically and not just “knee jerking”. She broke this down into action by practising “self coaching in the moment”. Mary’s trigger is to clear her space……..to be “calm, professional and energised”. In this way she can equip herself when dealing with stress, by building the habit of self control. By recognising the signs of stress, she goes into “defuse” mode, disconnecting anxiety and panic wires, to create an awareness of compromise, allowing her to be proactive and find options to deal with any situation.
Although Mary is still working on her new habits, she can talk herself through disappointment, anger or frustration by using her triggers. As we completed our coaching series, Mary’s closing comments were “I’ve been so tired……I didn’t have a nervous breakdown, I didn’t get sick through stress. I’m excited about my future now!”
How to deal with stress in the workplace:
1. Take a break from your work. Remove yourself physically and mentally by focusing only on whatever you are choosing to do during your break, such as sitting under a tree, having a coffee, reading a book. Clear your space mentally while your body has removed itself from your desk by thinking of a word that best describes your stress, putting it aside and focusing on something else.
2. Use trigger words to slow you down, effectively taking a break to help your body recover so it can resume a calm, and professional, energised self-control. “Calm brings clarity” enabling you to “think out the box” and make the right choices.
3. Know your strengths don’t focus on your weaknesses, it saps your confidence. Your physical and emotional strength coupled with many other influences determine how long and hard you can keep going. “It’s all about what’s best for you”.
* the name has been changed to protect confidentiality
