A combination of long hours, demanding colleagues, a difficult boss and a lack of gratitude are all common contributing factors to workplace stress. Workplace stress becomes a problem when the demands of a job and professional relationships becomes too much for an individual to cope with.
For the majority of people the majority of their waking hours throughout adult life are spent working. Stress at work and too many demands on one’s time can cause chronic stress disorder, general health and immunity problems and mental illness such as anxiety and depression and a general sense of dissatisfaction with life.
It is often the case that workplace stress can have an impact on other aspects of life such as social relationships, diet and sleep patterns.
When an individual is suffering from job stress, they may be more inclined to consume fast foods, drink excess amounts of caffeine and sugary drinks. Fast food is high in sugar and salt often packed full of refined products void of any nutritional value consumption of such foods for extended periods of stress can cause heart disease and possibly diabetes. Junk food such as burgers, sausage rolls, chrisps and snacks such as pastries, biscuits and sweets have also been linked to depression.
Discovering the specific causes of work place stress can aid its management. Developing coping mechanisms to address the specific causes can restrict the negative impact of stress on the body.
Kundalini yoga has been scientifically proven to combat work place stress and avoid burn out as well as aiding the recovery from burnout. This is just one option to help de-stress the body and encourage optimal health and wellbeing.
Mindfulness meditation has also been found to help people overcome stress as well as symptoms of depression and anxiety. Becoming mindful of body sensations and emotions as well as being mindfully aware of events that are taking place throughout the day can provide a means of staying on top of workplace stress.
Job Satisfaction vs. Sick Leave and /or Absenteeism
Researchers at England’s Manchester University say if you feel you are underpaid and are fed up, you are a prime candidate for a pain in the back. Their study is based on interviews with 1,600 people, half of whom were employed. Doctors say there was little difference in the risk of backache between those who had work and those who did not. But those who were unhappy about their job status, whether in work or currently unemployed, were twice as likely to suffer from the ailment.
Workers unhappy about their salaries were three times more likely to go for medical help or simply take time off work than those satisfied with the money they were getting.
The researchers say the study refutes the myth that those who suffer from pain in the lower back are just work-shy. Tolerance of stress levels differs from person to person.
Some people are able to sustain a highly stressful lifestyle or adapt themselves to a series of stressful events easily. However, many others succumb more readily to a variety of stress-related illnesses and even accidental injuries.