Category: Stress

University is a drastic change for many students to handle. It is similar to being thrown into a new world and having to learn a new culture, which can be overwhelming. University students are often subjected to mass amounts of stress, impacting their mental and physical health. Stress can come from a student’s inability to: develop adequate coping skills, maintain a healthy sleeping schedule, and find a balance between social, vocational, and educational commitments.

To reduce stress, students inevitably develop coping strategies, the success of which depends on how beneficial they are in accomplishing the students’ duties. I have found study groups to be extremely beneficial. University can be increasingly hard on students because of a perceived lack of support systems (Reeve, Shumaker, Yearwood, Crowell, & Riley, 2013). Study groups allow me to connect with other students while keeping me focused on my schoolwork. However, not all coping mechanisms are beneficial; when stress peaks I occasionally turn to drinking for relief. The increasing prevalence of drinking being used as a coping strategy among first year students can be worrying because of its negative impacts (Reeve et al., 2013). Drinking may provide momentary relief but it does not enable me to accomplish the task causing me stress.

Stress often leads to fatigue but developing a proper sleep schedule can help students eliminate fatigue and subsequently reduce stress levels. I find that when stress levels increase, my ability to get an adequate amount of sleep drastically decreases. It can be hard to find time or a place to decompress while stressed. Despite the difficulty, finding a place to escape from the stress imposed from the school environment is of paramount importance (Klainberg, Ewing, & Ryan, 2010). When you find a place that encourages relaxation it enables you to calm your mind, increasing your ability to fall asleep and return to a normal sleeping pattern.

As a university student, a key to overcoming stress is balancing commitments. Creating to-do lists helps me see what I have going on the next day. It is overwhelming at times because I work twice a week, go to the gym, and have social commitments to my friends and clubs. By changing the way students view their commitments from negative to positive, they are able to become proactive about their health and own well-being (Klainberg, Ewing, & Ryan, 2010). Utilizing various coping mechanisms and social support, students can develop a healthy balanced lifestyle (Reeve, Shumaker, Yearwood, Crowell, & Riley, 2013). It is essential that students train themselves to have a positive mindset not just to find balance, but also tools for success. Positive mindsets allow us to see our responsibilities not as being burdensome, but rather as opportunities to improve ourselves.

University is a completely new environment to be subjected to and many students find themselves struggling to adapt to the changes they encounter. Insufficiently adapting can cause stress that has an ability to negatively affect overall health. Stress can be attributed to students’ inadequacy to: develop proper habits to handle assignments, find a healthy yet productive sleep pattern, and establish unity between personal, school and work undertakings. To be successful throughout university and life it is imperative that people develop methods for managing stress and balancing the many commitments they may have.

Mostly everybody on the planet has or will experience stress at some time in their life. Driving to the grocery store, going to work, or transitioning from high school to university, stress is now finding new ways to surprise people every day. With this mounting stress that comes with a fast, technologically-advanced society, skills are needed to mitigate these effects, restore balance, and minimize future encounters with it. Starting university, which is undeniably a potent source of stress, can be a daunting and frightful experience. Before school even begins, the expectations of becoming a professional student, thoughts of meeting new people, and the changes associated with the beginning of adulthood can be quite intimidating for some people – probably most. When school does start, it all can be overwhelming. The managing of five or six difficult classes, completing assignments on time, and learning of the more challenging university-level content can make starting university one of the most stressful times of a person’s life. The American College Health Association found in a 2018 study that 44.9% of students reported more than average stress, with 11.9% of students experiencing ‘tremendous stress’ (ACHA, 2018). Additionally, Turner, Leno and Keller (2013) found that one in every ten deaths of college and university students is caused by suicide. As we see in these extremes, it becomes imperative for students to understand the impacts of stress, identify stress factors, and learn how to manage stress effectively. Through a thorough understanding of stress and effective self-management techniques for reducing stress, it is possible for those beginning university to enjoy their experience, reach their full potential, and succeed.

Findings

First, it is important to understand the meaning of stress, and how it impacts the body. Selye (1974 p. 27) says: “Stress is a nonspecific response of the body to any demands made to it”. In other words, the body tries to maintain a sense of normalcy and balance by adjusting to situations and events that try to change this balance. When a person becomes cold, their bodies start shivering to generate heat (Tortora & Derrickson, 2017, p. 10). In this context, stress is considered to be the cold environment the person finds them self in. It is also important to remember that not all stress is bad though. For instance, when you are running from a bear, you need to be able to adapt quickly to the life-threatening situation, and reroute all energy in the body to organs that will help you survive. In this example, a person’s parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system will activate, which will deliver huge amounts of glucose and oxygen to the brain, skeletal muscles, and heart. At the same time, non-useful organ functions associated with the urinary, digestive, and reproductive systems are inhibited (Tortora & Derrickson, 2017, p. 656). On the contrary, chronic stress serves no purpose, is detrimental to health, and can lead to a variety of complications such as changes in brain structure, weakened immune system, decreased cardiovascular health, and decreased mental health (Mariotti, 2015). In this study, the severity of stress and its effects are clearly expressed which underline the concern that almost half of students are experiencing higher than average stress as previously mentioned in the study done by ACHA (2018).

Understanding what causes stress (stressor) is also very crucial so that we are able to focus on specific coping skills for a specific stressor, reduce our encounters with them, or even eliminate the stressor all together. Canadian adults report that families, relationships, work, and major life changes mark the biggest sources of stress (CMHA, 2014), but stress experienced by post-secondary students highlights other areas of one’s life. Stressors experienced by post-secondary students can be related to stage of life, personal factors, or academics (Versavel, 2014). Adapting to independent living, transitioning into adulthood, building new social support networks, changing relationships with parents, and obtaining personal security are all stresses related to stage of life (Al-qaisy, 2010). Financial concerns, school/personal life balance, and lack of free time are all commonly identified personal sources of stress for post-secondary students (Chernomas & Shapiro, 2013). Additionally, working part-time can make everything else seem even harder. If a student has poor time management skills and is working through a heavy course load, this will further exacerbate stress. With this in mind, the primary source of stress amongst college and university students relates to academics. Worrying about exams, workload, and marks in general have been cited as top sources of stress for some students (Altiok & Ustun, 2013).

As students are not always able to eliminate the source of their stress, they can still find ways of managing it. There are many different resources that a student can use, but these resources are not fully realized by the students themselves. Also, pressures of school life seem to compound on each other like cars entering a traffic jam on a freeway. Not before long, it seems impossible to get out of the mess students often find themselves in, and they may bouts of depression, anxiety, or even break-downs. Students may then turn to alcohol and drugs to relieve the stress that they are experiencing, which normally make the situation even worse (Lanier, Nicholson, Duncan, 2001). Mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) is becoming an increasingly popular and effective stress management technique that scientists are now studying now more than ever. Mindfulness-based therapy is a way of training an individual’s brain to quiet itself so that the individual is less likely to become distracted, overwhelmed by worry and rumination, and ultimately towards acceptance of oneself (Abott, Whear, Rodgers, et al., 2014). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has also been found to reduce stress in University Students. CBT helps individuals focus on the here and now, with skills and strategies to examine how to make sense of what is happening, and how these perceptions affect the way they feel (Huisman & Kangas, 2018). Yoga is also a very effective intervention to stress as studied by Milligan (2006). Some universities even offer yoga programs to their students, which is becoming increasingly popular among students. Diet also plays another important role in the mental health of students. As all of our body’s need energy to perform, it is crucial that students eat well so that their body systems are able to support the student’s needs. This is especially the case when it comes to the nervous system, which is your brain. The brain is constantly receiving, interpreting, and sending out data. When you don’t fuel your brain with anything other than quality nutrients, it can become slow, fatigued, and damaged (Selhub, 2018). Paying attention to what you put into your body can make a huge impact on the way your brain performs, ultimately reducing stress levels.

Conclusion

With the information presented above addressing what stress is, how it can physiologically affect the body, some sources of stress (stressors), and effective techniques for reducing stress, it becomes important that this information makes its way to the minds of students. All of the literature on stress does no good if it doesn’t get shared with importance to university students. This may an area of focus for future studies; how can professionals, faculty of universities, and anyone teaching about stress, to effectively share this information with practical solutions for students. It’s one thing to see posters in the hallways of schools about stress and its effects, but it’s another thing to fully understand on a deeper level that humans are not designed to be stressed all of the time, and what we can do about it. This sharing and understanding may prove of even greater difficulty as half of students are already stressed (ACHA, 2018). With half of the student population already stressed, students may prioritize completing their fast-approaching deadlines, studying for tests, and anything academic related, instead of learning effective ways of coping outside of just being a stressed student. There may already be a misguided belief among some university students which is that chronic stress is just an integral part of university. This is just inherently wrong, and should be understood by all students. There are countless students that have learned how to prioritize their health, take care of themselves, and manage their stress. With the use of MBT, CBT, yoga, diet, and many other health promotion strategies, students can begin taking back their lives and have a fulfilling university experience. Maybe it’s from all of the distraction of technology that we have forgotten how it feels to feel balanced and healthy. We all seem so caught up in the stories we read, videos we watch, and posts we share, that we really have lost touch with an innate part of ourselves, which may be contributing to a declining health of society. Whatever the case may be, if we don’t fix our society’s stress epidemic, we are in for trouble.

Mental health is defined as when a person understands and knows their own abilities regarding being productive, handling stress, and knowing how to control their emotions.

Good mental health is when a person can do tasks like learning, healthily expressing their emotions, and having a good balance between negative and positive emotions without crumbling under pressure. Bad mental health is when a person cannot cope when doing necessary tasks in life and cannot control their feelings, they often struggle to think clearly and struggle with high-stress situations.

Mental health days are important because they help keep a healthy balance between the stress and pressure of school and life. They help prevent complete burnout and could prevent a mental breakdown or worse. Mental health is very important because it includes our social well-being and our psychological and emotional well-being. It has a huge effect on our emotions, actions, and the way we think. Mental health has not always been a topic many people spoke about, it was seen as being a very private subject you kept to yourself but in recent years more people have addressed and spoken about mental health more openly and the importance of every single person’s mental health. Social media has played a big role in changing this, hopefully for the better.

In my personal opinion I believe it is extremely important to allow students to have mental health days off because every person has a different state of mental health, some students cannot cope in high-pressure situations for a long period which leads them to burn out and this could lead to something like quitting school. There are many reasons why students may need mental health days off including having mental illnesses. Depression and anxiety have a huge effect on someone and have been on the rise in youngsters. Sometimes when depression and anxiety are suppressed and not addressed it could lead to things like mental breakdowns, panic attacks, and worst-case scenario suicide. Another reason may be family trauma. Homelife affects school life and having breaks from school may help.

People are not robots; we all have emotions and each person has a breaking point or needs a break to recharge once in a while. Mental health days may not solve all these problems but they could help a struggling teenager gather some strength to push through and carry on instead of giving up. I think schools need to consider having mental health days.

In our daily lives, we get to hear of word stress from our surroundings. Even the word ‘stress’ can be heard nowadays in the news, in magazines, and on other social media too. Stress is not something new for most people. Most people will experience stress at least once in life. Stress could come from various reasons. It can be from life, family, friends, and works. But the most common stress happened in the workplace. There are two types of stress management. We have acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is basically stress that develops within a short time frame and does not last long. For example, during an interview, when you have no answer to a question given. While on the other hand, chronic stress is an emotional pressure that the person has no control over it for a prolonged period of time. A chronic can lead to illness. It can cause high blood pressure, migraine headaches, and even weakening the immune system. As I mentioned earlier it can cause emotional pressure, having this disease can lead to depression. We will start to lose our self-esteem and doubt our capabilities. Stress also can happen in an organization due to many reasons such as work overload, job insecurity. Stress in limited quantity is advantageous to the organization and employee too. It helps to accomplish personal goals and organizational objectives. But stress in overabundance quantity can cause harm to the body, mind, and the psychology of an employee.

Based on the article that I have read, stress is vital for the employees in any organization. An approach to cope with the stress includes ample sleep, sports, talking to a companion or a friend, relaxation habits, and quitting obsessive products. These all need to be used in order to relieve all the stress. Workplace stress plays an important role in the physiological and psychological well-being of workers. It also influences the efficiency and productiveness of organizations. The various results of workplace stress like role ambiguity, personal problems, emotional imbalance, economic pressure, and behavioral disturbance lead to the interruption of the climate organization. These difficulties create interpersonal conflicts, reduced productivity, low organizational commitment, increased truancy, and more attrition. By facilitating the employees with effectual practice, the management can offer them a platform to fix their stress-related problems. Exercise, meditation, yoga, and recreational activities can provide a more conducive environment to manage stress. These useful steps can pave the path for developing the efficacy of employees and the increased performance of the organization.

Recently, the COVID-19 virus is triggering stress-causing varying reactions like sadness, worry, confusion, and fear in society. Most companies in the world have facing problems due to the COVID-19 that had happened all around the world. The company especially employees need to cope with a new style of working. Some were even forced to take leave without being paid. It really affects everyone physically and spiritually. Some are afraid of losing their jobs, others worry about having to shut down their business. Those who receive a daily salary wonder whether they can survive during the pandemic. There are few ways to cope with the stress during this pandemic. Firstly, we need to accept ourselves and acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses and admit the fact that life has its highs and lows. This principle can shape an employee to be more confident about facing new challenges. Next, do not hesitate to communicate with your co-workers, supervisors, and employees about any work that stresses us out while maintaining social distancing. Also, always get the update about the virus so that you know how to protect yourself and others. Understanding the risk and being considerate by sharing accurate information with your surrounding can reduce stress and help you to connect with others. The most important thing is to take breaks from watching, reading, or listen to the news, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic frequently can be depressing and mentally exhausting.

Abstract

Stress is one of the most predominate challenges people face every day. According to the anxiety and depression association of America, seven out of ten adults in the United States say they experience stress daily, and some say it interferes at least moderately with their lives (Stress is an inevitable, 2018). Stress is defined as a situation where a person’s homeostasis is affected and thrown off balance in response to the situation. This research paper is dedicated to identifying different types of stress and analyzing unique stress management techniques. The types of stress I will be covering in the body of this paper include Acute Stress, Episodic Acute Stress, and Chronic acute Stress. I will examine the primary reasons why they are caused, some health complications that come along with these types of stress to include both mental and physical. Finally, I will discuss different techniques we can incorporate into our daily lives that would be most beneficial to combat and overcome these stressors.

Stress Management

Stress is a common obstacle that inhabitants of this world are faced with every day, both animals and humans alike. From a rabbit being chased by a fox, to a person who just found out that he is going to be laid-off and does not know how he will provide for his family next. Both of these situations cause a natural response to help cope with the events taking place. The issue that are troublesome to humans is that there are many different situations that can trigger this response and sometimes its multiple events that can pile on added stress. Prolonged periods of stress can cause serious health issues. It is critical that we become familiar with stress and ways that we can overcome stress to prevent any adverse effects.

What is Stress?

Stress is a common term that we use every day, but how often do we really think about what this really means and what exactly happens to the body when this is happening? According to Dr. Erica Jackson of ACMS Health & Fitness journal, stress is the disruption of the body’s homeostasis or a state of disharmony in response to a real or perceived threat or challenge (Jackson, 2013, p. 14). The perceived threat or challenge is what we identify as a stressor. When we encounter these stressors, our body disperses many hormones to prepare us to confront this threat. The chemicals are known as cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. This affects the body by increasing the heart rate, heightened muscle responsiveness, alertness, and even sweating. This is called the body’s natural “fight-or-flight” response. As we are all probably too familiar with, stress is not only caused from something that is life threatening, but sometimes even smaller issues. Some examples include; job issues or responsibilities, privation of time or money, family problems, relationships, driving in heavy traffic, or even waiting for an important outcome. With each unique situation we face, we may also encounter different types of stress depending on that vary situation.

Types of Stress1

Stress management can be complicated and confusing because there are different types of stress. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), These include acute stress, episodic acute stress, and Chronic stress, each having their own symptoms, characteristics, longevity and treatment styles.

Acute stress is recognized as the most common type of stress. It comes from momentarily dwelling on recent past events and the concern of how these events will affect you in the near future. Acute stress can be stimulating in small amounts, but an excessive amount can be wearing. This is because of the consistency of this stress, over long periods of time it can take a heavy toll on the body. Some familiar scenarios that contribute to this stress are car accidents that may have caused some body damage on your car, a deadline you are trying to meet, possibly even issues your child may be facing in school. Symptoms of this stress can include emotional distress in combination of anger, anxiety, and depression. Acute stress can also cause physical symptoms such as muscular problems like tension headache, back pain, jaw pain, and muscle tension.

According to APA, Episodic Acute Stress can be attributed to those whose lives are so disordered that they are subjects in chaos and crisis. They are always in a rush, but always late. If something can go wrong for these individuals it usually does, and usually they take on to much they can handle (Stress-kinds, 2019). People who suffer from episodic acute stress are usually short-tempered, irritable, anxious and tense. Additionally, they can be seen in a hurry, abrupt, and often their irritability comes off as hostile. They find the workplace to be extremely stressful to them. Personality traits associated with these individuals are often seen as having an excessive competitive drive, impatience, aggressiveness, and always having a sense of urgency. These people are at greater risk for coronary heart disease.

Chronic stress is undoubtedly the most severe type of stress a person can suffer from. This is the type of stress that breaks a person down day after day, and even year after year. APA describes this as destroying the human mind, physical body, and our lives as it inflicts chaos through long-term exposure. This is the stress of monetary scarcity, of broken families, being trapped in a torn marriage or in a unfavorable job or career (stress-kinds, 2019). Essentially, Chronic stress is derived from a miserable situation that appears to be no way out of. Symptoms from chronic stress are some of the most harmful or even deadly. These include violence, stroke, heart attack, and even suicide. Because physical and mental resources are exhausted through long-term attrition, the symptoms of chronic stress are some of the most difficult to treat and may require extended medical as well as behavioral treatment and stress management (“stress management can be,” 2019).

Identifying the Right Stress Relief Technique

Finding the right technique to use is the first step to proper stress management and is essential because if you do not use the correct one, it will be challenging to make any progress. Some techniques are ineffective for one of two reasons: either they are a poor match for the person’s personality, or for the situation (Scott, 2018). For someone who is a healthcare provider, or any other challenging profession, simply using breathing techniques may not be sufficient enough in effectively reducing stress for that situation. According to the health and science journal, Transcendental meditation is referred to as a simple and easily learned technique, requiring only to be practiced for 20 minutes twice daily while sitting with eyes closed and repeating a ‘mantra’, a meaningless sequence of sounds specific to each individual, to promote a natural awareness to a wakeful but deeply restful state (Varvogil, Darviri, 2011). This technique may have amazing benefits overall, but this can be hard for someone who is feeling overwhelmed and lacks the patience to learn a new practice. It is important to identify what type of stress you may be experiencing, and then determining which techniques are most appealing to your personal preferences. This will make the process easier and smoother when attempting to managing your stress.

Management Techniques for Stress. As we discussed earlier, acute stress is a type of stress that only effects you momentarily. It happens quickly and often times unexpectedly and does not typically last too long. Further examples include an argument with someone in your life, or an exam you don’t feel adequately prepared for. A good practice for this type of stress are breathing exercises. They can be coupled with other strategies, such as yoga or meditation. Breathing exercises is also one of the more common techniques because of its simplicity, and it is effective for virtually everyone. They work quickly, you can do them anywhere (no extra equipment is required, just your lungs), they are cost free, and only take little practice to master. The benefit of breathing exercises is that it almost immediately begins to reverse your flight-or-fight response bring you back to homeostasis.

Another good stress management technique for acute stress is cognitive reframing. Have you ever over analyzed a situation to the point where you started to psyche yourself out of your own comfort zone (overstressed) only to find out all your concerns where unnecessary? That may have been a time when cognitive reframing may have been beneficial to counteract your unnecessary stress. Sometimes we tend to be overly cautious and critical, as humans normally do, of a tasking or situation when ultimately our over cautiousness does more harm to ourselves than good. It causes us to cloud our judgement or even make mistakes we would have not normally made if we were able to think straight. Cognitive reframing is a way of changing the way you look at something and changing your experience of it. For example, seeing something that would be challenging to be bravely overcome, or a viewing a really bad day as a mildly low point in a largely positive life. Even seeing a negative event as an opportunity to take it as a learning experience. Reframing positively affects stress because your stress is often triggered by what you perceive, not what is actually taking place. By reframing your thinking, you are likely to minimize, if not, neutralize your stress all together. Reframing can be simplified into a four-step process; learning about your thinking patterns, noticing your thoughts, challenging your thoughts, and finally, replacing your thought with more positive thoughts (Scott, 2018).

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is a relaxing and effective technique for relinquishing body tension and psychological stress. For this technique, you will be required to tense and relax all of your major muscles in your body in order from head to toes. By tensing your muscles prior to relaxing them you enable yourself to relax them more effectively after you release. To effectively do this technique you will first need to find some time, at least 15 minutes. Next, you want to find yourself a place where you can feel comfortable for all your tensing needs. Now you first begin with your face; making a tight grimace, clinching your teeth, closing your eyes as tightly as possible, clench your teeth, for about eight seconds. Then you let go of all of your tension by exhaling and relaxing completely. Next comes your neck and shoulder areas, then you continue to repeat by working your way down your body with all of your muscles. The final step is to just practice and then abbreviate. Now you can use this technique to destress virtually at any time.

With managing Chronic Stress, often times it may require a combination approach with some short-term stress relievers and some long-term stress relief habits. An excellent long-term lifestyle change technique that can prove to be beneficial is exercising on a regular daily basis. Exercising is effective against stress for many different reasons. For one, it can serve as an outlet for frustrations. It allows you to turn negative emotions into motivation for improved health. Additionally, stress can increase your feel-good hormones like endorphins, and decrease stress hormones like cortisol. From a physical standpoint, with working out you will also feel and look healthier and it may boost your confidence relieving stress. With consistent physical activity it can even distract you and take your mind off of your problems.

Taking a much needed vacation away from work, in my opinion, is probably be the best stress management technique. Sometimes you just need to get out of your daily routine, an opportunity to clear your mind from all the troubles of the regular world with a five day trip to a tropical coastline, leaving all your worries behind. When you return, you will be refreshed and you may even be able to bring back some recently kindled motivation. The only issues that come with this technique is it may be the costliest compared to others. If the money is a concern, you would most definitely not want to place yourself in a financial burden adding even more stress. If money is a constraint, the next best thing I would suggest is making the most out of your weekend. This does not necessarily suggest spending your money to make you feel better, but spend some time doing the things you enjoy and leave work or other stressors for Monday. Whose to say weekends should not be treated as mini-staycations.

References

1. American Psychological Association (n.d.) Stress: the different kinds of stress. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-kinds
2. Jackson, Erica, M. (May/June 2013) Stress Relief: The Role of Exercise in Stress Management.
3. ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal p. 14-19 retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/acsm healthfitness/fulltext/2013/05000/STRESS_RELIEF__The_Role_of_Exercise_in_Stress.6.aspx#O3-6-3
4. Scott, Elizabeth (15 February, 2018) Stress Relief Techniques: Why The Right Fit is Essential
5. retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/stress-relievers-for-each-type-of-stress-3145249
6. Varvogli, Liza, Darviri, Christina (2011) Stress Management Techniques: Evidence-based
7. procedures that reduce stress and promote health. Health and Science Journal p. 78 Retrieved from http://www.hsj.gr/medicine/stress-management-techniques-evidencebased-procedures-that-reduce-stress-and-promote-health.pdf
8. Anxiety and Depression Association of America (n.d) Physical Activity Reduces Stress.
9. Retrieved from https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/stress/physical-activity-reduces-st

Stress is a major health concern in America today, and it is especially prominent among American workers. Studies have shown that over 94% of American workers have reported work-related stress and that over 61% of these American workers are ready to quit their jobs because of it (Milenkovic, 2019). Occupational stress poses different physiological effects involving hormones as well as pathological effects because of the suppressing of the immune system. It also leads to decreased productivity at work, increased costs for companies, and promotes negative coping behaviors which further increase work-related stress.

There are a variety of cultures made up of their own unique characteristics that influence how each individual thinks or behaves within their lives. When it comes to the topic of stress, specifically stress in the workplace, different cultures tend to view and manage it differently. There are different factors that make up work-related stress including a workers’ sense of control, but psychosocial factors like “emotional demands, demands of hiding emotion, sensorial demands … organizational influence, trust, the social community at work… work-life balance, and negative acts (such as violence or bullying)” are some important contributors to stressful workdays as well (Hsu, H.C., 2018). The level of stress per occupation goes deeper than just the stressors themselves. It is the internal makeup of the individual that determines how these stressors will affect their physical and psychological health. Different cultures, such as gender, age, and socioeconomic status can have a huge impact on how one copes with work-related stress, but luckily they have the ability to rely on certain ethical laws to help relieve the burdens of the stress within the workplace.

Scientific Inquiry

The body experiences many physiological changes when it is exposed to any form of stressor, especially stressors that are work-related. What the body tends to do is activate our “General Adaptation Syndrome” or our “GAS”, which consists of three stages: alarm, resistance, and recovery or exhaustion (Copstead & Banasnik, 2013). The alarm stage is also referred to as the “fight-or-flight” response, “because it provides a surge of energy and physical alterations to either evade or confront danger” (2013). This stage is responsible for triggering the hypothalamus of the brain to secrete corticotropic-releasing hormone (CRH) resulting in a cascade of events activating the SNS (sympathetic nervous system) (2013). This causes a release of essential hormones such as catecholamines and glucocorticoids to be secreted into the bloodstream causing a variety of inflammatory effects (2013). The resistance stage does not progress until the pituitary gland is activated by the cascade of events mediated by CRH being released from the hypothalamus (2013). Copstead and Banasik explain that the resistance stage involves the body trying to adapt to the physiologic changes occurring by its “allostatic return to homeostasis” (allostasis), meaning all body mechanisms are working together to bring the body back within the normal range (2013). Every system or physiologic effect triggered by the stressor is in full force in this stage trying to fight the stressor and calm the body down. If allostasis takes into effect and the body responds well to the stressor, it will enter the recovery stage. If not, it moves onto the exhaustion stage where “the body is no longer able to effect a return to homeostasis after prolonged exposure to noxious agents” (2013). The exhaustion stage emphasizes that the body’s continuous response to stress proves to be more damaging than the stressor itself (2013). This response includes secreted, inflammatory mediated hormones that pose a plethora of effects on the body which damage the immune system and can then lead to increased susceptibility to disease and infection.

Hormones play an essential role in responding to stressors and produce profound effects when they are secreted into the bloodstream. The body triggers multiple pathways to release certain hormones, but the “sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system” and the “hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system” (HPA) are extremely important. The sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system releases the catecholamines norepinephrine and epinephrine into the bloodstream (2013). These hormones produce a range of effects including the elevation of cardiac output, heart rate, blood flow, blood pressure, and myocardial activity (2013). They also inhibit insulin secretion and decrease gastric acid secretions (2013). The HPA axis leads to the stimulation of the anterior pituitary gland to secrete glucocorticoids such as cortisol (2013). Cortisol is an anti-inflammatory hormone, but “chronic elevations can lead to the immune system becoming “resistant”, an accumulation of hormones, and increased production of inflammatory cytokines that further compromise the immune response” (Morey, J. N., Boggero, I. A., Scott, A. B., & Segerstrom, S. C., 2015).

When the body experiences stress and is exhausted from compensation, the immune system is hindered, and we become immunosuppressant. As was previously mentioned, if our bodies do not make it past the “recovery” stage, they instead settle in the “exhaustion” stage, which is categorized by what is called “allostatic overload” (2013). Allostatic overload is a fancy term for the wear and tear on our bodies when compensating for the exposure of the stressor (2013). Science has shown that excessive catecholamine levels are linked to certain cardiovascular pathologies such as hypertension, stroke, and myocardial infarction (2013). Stress also causes “hair loss, emotional tension, burnout, mouth sores, insomnia, asthma, heart palpitations, neuromuscular movement disorders, muscle contraction backaches, tension headaches, digestive disorders, and irritable bladder” (2013). Stress is also a key factor in contributing to certain psychological disorders. Cells in the amygdala tend to hypertrophy (an increase in size or function) and undergo “remodeling”, which results in an increase in fear, anxiety, and other mood disorders (2013). It is appropriate to say that stressors, especially work-related stressors, heavily contribute to the suppressing of the immune system and the damaging effects that are posed on the body.

Mathematical and Analytical Inquiry

Constant stress within the workplace leads to decreased work performance. Surveys have shown that 41% of stressed workers say that stress leads to a loss of productivity (2019). This loss of productivity can hinder the relationships with one’s boss, coworkers, clients, patients, etc. Which can then continue to add more stress within their work. The American Institute of Stress states that 51% of stressed, American workers are “mentally checked out” at work (2019).

Stress can have a significant impact on one’s ability to perform certain tasks and can lead to a lack of concentration and decreased motivation (Davey, A., Shukla, A, Sharma P., Davey, S., 2019). There are a variety of occupations that require different levels of focus and productivity, however, when it specifically comes to working in jobs associated with health care, it is important that one does not let the stress of the job cause a mental block so they can avoid hindering their performance when caring for their patients. Patients are usually sick and vulnerable, and they depend on health care workers for care and support. It is essential that the stress of the job itself does not affect the care that is needed for them. A few of the causes associated with occupational stress include a heavy workload (accounts for 39% of the cases) and a lack of clarity of their supervisor’s expectations when experiencing any form of change at work (accounts for 31% of the cases) (2019). The decrease in productivity has lead to 61% of American workers being ready to quit their jobs (2019). Work-related stress makes day-to-day life unenjoyable for those suffering. They might turn to become absent more frequently, or they might turn to quit their jobs as a solution for their problems.

Occupational stress is a major issue concerning the costs of the company. Work-related stress causes 120,000 deaths and results in $190 billion in healthcare costs annually (2019). This averages about 5-8% of total national healthcare spending associated with stress at work (2019). According to some calculated estimates, “job stress has been the main factor in 70% of absenteeism cases and nearly wasting of 10% of the country’s gross domestic product” (Davey, A., et al., 2019). Those who are suffering from work-related stress tend to simply turn to increase the frequency of their absence or quit their jobs in order to avoid the complications that are associated with stress. Companies need to accommodate those who decide to not show and/or quit their jobs due to stress by spending about 75% of workers’ annual salaries to cover the costs of absenteeism, the decrease in productivity, and the replacement of workers (2019). That is another stressor within the workplace itself. Those who work with the people who are experiencing stress from work are also affected partly because their hard-earned money is being taken away from them to cover the costs of those absent or gone. They are now forced to deal with the stress of receiving less pay while working more hours because of their stressed-out colleagues. Those who suffer from work-related stress report that this stress has carried on within their homes and that the added stress within their homes turns them into negative coping mechanisms, which adds more fuel to the fire.

54% of people have said that their home life has been affected due to occupational or work-related stressors (2019). It is common for people to use their home as their “safe haven” in times of stress, however, it is not easy relying on the comfort of one’s home if they are bringing the stress of their occupation into it. 76% of workers have reported that stress from work affects their personal relationships (2019). Affected workers tend to turn to their loved ones for support, but they end up taking that work-related stress out on them instead. This overload of stress has also led those affected to cope in unhealthy, negative ways. 46% percent of women tend to turn to food and eat more because of their stress (2019). 19% of men are reported to have sex more frequently risking the chance of developing a sexually transmitted disease, and 12% of men have turned to illicit drugs for a sense of ease (2019). These unhealthy coping behaviors are extremely taxing on the body and cause the body unnecessary stress that adds to the stressors of working.

Cultural Inquiry

Culture can be defined in a variety of ways, but many view culture as “shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs and understandings that are learned by socialization” (Zimmerman, K.A., 2017). Cultures of men and women tend to experience different levels of stress within the workplace and tend to have different reactions when they experience work-related stress. Men “are more likely to occupy higher positions”, while women tend to work in low-paying, unstable jobs on top of caring for duties within the home, which just further adds to the stress (Rivera-Torres, P., Araque-Padilla R.A., & Montero-Simo, M.J., 2013). Women tend to react heavily with their emotions when initially contacted with stress while men tend to use more logic in the matter (Mayor, E., 2015). Women seem to “experience more chronic stressors than men and consider stressors as more threatening” (Mayor, E., 2015). This is mainly because “masculinity, in particular, is related to better physical and mental health … better self-assessed general health, [and] less physical symptoms” (Mayor, E., 2015). Having better overall health makes it easier to cope when stress is introduced. When it comes to coping, men tend to lean towards “active coping” where problem-solving is the main engaging factor, while simultaneously ignoring “avoidance coping” which is strictly a more emotional coping mechanism used by women (Mayor E., 2015). Not only do men and women differ in terms of stress effectiveness and management, but age also makes a difference in how one copes as well.

Age has a major impact on how one perceives and manages their stress levels. There are a variety of factors that add influence to the differences of younger versus older-aged workers. For example, younger workers have reported experiencing more stress regarding the workplace with certain factors being of influence including “being in a physically demanding job, greater self-related work pressure, not being able to work at home, [and] feeling tired before work” compared to older groups (Hsu, H.C., 2018). The fact that younger workers tend to experience more work-related stress compared to older adults can be stemmed from the possibility that “younger workers are still learning to fit into the working environment or that older workers are more resilient in adapting to a changing environment” (Hsu, H.C., 2018). Being more resilient to the stressors experienced has been shown to reduce the degree of burnout at work (Hsu, H.C., 2018). It has also been recorded that younger workers have more work-family conflicts with more discriminatory experiences at work as well (Hsu, H.C., 2018). Although younger workers experience more work-related stress, they tend to manage it better compared to older adults because older workers seem to have less psychological well-being compared to younger adults (Hsu, H.C, 2018). Older workers’ “declining health and creativity with age could affect their potential to deal with work challenges”, which makes coping with work-related stress much more difficult (Hsu, H.C., 2018). There are different health training programs to encourage “new methods and creative thinking” and to provide social support for workers of all ages so they could have more beneficial work experiences and work outcomes (Hsu, H.C., 2018). Socioeconomic status also plays a role in the intensity and management of stress within the workplace.

Although one would think that living in a lower socioeconomic status would increase the levels of stress within the workplace, studies have shown otherwise. Low SES individuals tend to have more accompanying stress outside of the workplace while those with higher SES jobs tend to report more stress within the actual work itself. Certain results have shown that “in comparison to high SES individuals, those with lower SES reported greater happiness at work, less self-reported stress, and less perceived stress” (Damaske, S., Zawadzki, M. J., & Smyth, J. M., 2016). Older workers have reported, “feeling unable to meet work demands, fewer work resources, and less positive work appraisals” (Damaske, S., Zawadzki, M. J., & Smyth, J. M., 2016). Both high and low SES jobs provide different stressors which influence the stress that is experienced within the workplace. For example, high SES jobs “typically come with greater job demands, including more responsibility, more time demands, greater interpersonal conflict, and greater conflict over the use of authority” compared to those with low SES jobs who “experience low job control and little schedule control” (Damaske, S., Zawadzki, M. J., & Smyth, J. M., 2016). These different work-related stressors produce different effects on a person, which can then urge them to turn to their legal rights for support.

Ethical Inquiry

“According to the World Health Organization, workers who are stressed are more likely to be unhealthy, poorly motivated, less productive, less safe at work, and at risk for depression and anxiety disorders” (Zabawa, B.J., 2019). It is important for employers of any company “to ensure that as much assistance, training, support, and guidance is offered to staff as possible so that stress at work can be avoided” (Morris, 2019). Employers are taught through various training programs and Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to initially address the issue of work-related stress (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, n.d.). These EAP programs teach employees about “stress, the effects of stress on health, and personal skills to reduce stress, …and provide individual counseling for employees for both work and personal problems” (Occupational Safety and Health Act, n.d.). Although these training programs have been enforced as preventative measures, some employees still feel the burden of workplace stress on top of these measures being implemented.

Many employers are made aware of the issue at hand but fail to alter the working environment to accommodate for the stress received. Because of this, many employees suffering from work-related stress turn to legal action to take effect. They rely on their rights and the laws that protect them. The different laws provide assistance that also “help[s] to create work environments that reduce employee stress” (Zabawa, B.J., 2019). For example, one does have the right to make a legal claim such as a personal injury or constructive dismissal claim for stress against their employer (Landau, P., 2010). This presents the issue to the employer, who can possibly grant the employee Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) in order for them to take time off to manage their chronic stress (Landau, P., 2010).

People experiencing work-related stress also turn to certain laws such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The OSHA helps to “provide guidance on how to prevent workplace violence” with some of these guidelines including “getting a commitment from management, asking employees to participate in decision-making, and conducting a worksite analysis” (Zawaba, B.J., 2019). The OSHA provides safety to its employees while requiring them to work together, which teaches them the basics of teamwork. The greater effectiveness of working as a team can promote better support among coworkers when the work environment deems to be too stressful. Employees suffering from long-term stress in the workplace also turn to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA “support[s] the need for more comprehensive wellness programs that include reducing stress and its various causes” (Zawaba, B.J., 2019). The ADA “prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals who have, had, or are perceived to have a disability as to terms, conditions, and privileges of employment” (Zawaba, B.J., 2019). The ADA protects people with disabilities due to stress that has been acquired within the workplace (2019).

There are also other worker’s compensation laws to not only help reduce the amount of stress within the work environment but also help protect against any form of discrimination amongst employees. Some examples are Title VII, which “prohibits employment discrimination based on an employee’s gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion” (Zawaba, B.J., 2019) and the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA), which “prohibits discrimination against employees age 40 or older” (Zawaba, B.J., 2019). These worker compensation laws protect those who might be receiving chronic amounts of stress due to bullying among coworkers and thus reduces the risk of acquired stress within the workplace.

In 2017, 56% of British workers felt very or quite stressed due to their jobs. (Evans, 2017). In 2018/19, according to the Labour Force Survey (2019), 1,800 workers in 100,00 suffered from work-related stress, anxiety or depression. Even that mental health and stress are current topics in society and between companies, these numbers show how it still is a lot to work on. This essay will, firstly, define what stress and work-related stress are. Secondly, it will explain the causes that can lead to work-related stress, having the “Amazon: The Truth Behind the Click” as an example. And, thirdly, this essay will mention some of the consequences that can occur from work-related stress. It will discuss why is important for employees and employers to deal with this issue and suggest ways how they can reduce it or cope with it better.

So, it can be questioned what stress is. Well, stress is a response from our body to help us cope with a situation in our life. Usually, it is a new situation, something that we are not used to dealing with, it can be when a person feels threatened or that does not have control over what is happening at that moment. When this happens, our body starts to generate stress hormones that set off our body in a “flight or fight” mode. This can help to cope to deal with the pressure that is felt at that moment. Normally, people can return to their normal condition without any problems. The problem starts when the person is exposed to a level of stress frequently, it starts to become more difficult to cope with it and it starts to feel overwhelming (Mental Health Foundation, 2018; Shiel, no date). Even that some people would like to be able to ‘switch off’ stress it is not possible since it is a reflex that our body has to protect us (Teasdale, 2006). When the person is feeling constant stress for a long time is what is called long-term stress. According to the World Health Organization (no date), long-term stressed is often caused by the stress that a person is under while at work. Work-related stress can occur from different causes, such as, being asked to do a type of job that do not have the skills or the appropriate material, do not have support from the managerial team or/and colleagues, feeling of not being part of the decisions or the process regarding their job. It is known that most of the jobs put people under pressure, and pressure is needed to help to achieve better results.

The factors related to work that can lead to stress are the ones where the employees are asked to do more than they actually can, where they feel a lack of support and lack of opportunity to express their opinions or to have any choices (King and Lawley, 2019; World Health Organization, no date). The “Amazon: The Truth Behind the Click” proves that. They have targets that are almost impossible to achieve, for example, 110 units per hour (1.80 units per minute). Employees are pressured all the time about their targets and if they have a continuously poor performance, they occur the risk of being fired. Stressed is usually associated with the overload of work, but the opposite can also help to increase it. If the employees do not have work that matches their abilities, they can feel demotivated and under-stimulated what can lead to them start questioning their value and their future in the company (World Health Organization, no date). Long or/and inflexible hours (British Academy, 2010), “Amazon: The Truth Behind the Click” showed that they have shifts more than 10 hours with a 1-hour break. Not knowing the working schedule in advance also helps to increase stress. Even that it is possible that the employees do not have long shifts, if the rota is not known with time, it makes it more difficult to make plans and enjoy life outside work. Employees need a balance between work and their social life (Hope, 2015). It may make them feel that they cannot control their work-life and by a consequence their private life. Another factor that can help to increase stress at work is the uncertainty regarding the position of the employee in the company. For example, it is getting a promotion, or if the job is secure/stable or not (World Health Organization, no date). Since employees are afraid of losing their job, they are going to work even when they are sick. This is called “presenteeism”. If they are sick, they will not be as productive as normal and they are increasing the risk of contaminating their colleagues as well (Allen, 2011; British Academy, 2010). In “Amazon: The Truth Behind the Click” he was a temporary worker like almost all his colleagues were. If the person is temporally and knows that very hardly will become a permanent worker, it is harder to feel part of the company. Furthermore, they were monitored for everything related to attendance and punctuality. If they were late, or if they were sick (even if they were already at work) they would gain some points and if they end up with 3 points they would be fired. Additionally, the company should have rules that need to be followed by everyone. Having different rules for some employees may increase the feeling of unfairness. The managers have a big role in this topic. Managers can help to increase or decrease the stress that their employees are feeling. If the manager does not know how to communicate clearly and effectively, the employee can feel frustrated, not heard, and unsupported. The manager needs to be aware of the relationship between employees. He/she needs to be alert if any harassment is happening or if any employee seems to be affected by any kind of problem at work or even outside work (Allen, 2011; World Health Organization, no date). In the Amazon case, this did not happen. The job itself was already giving him high levels of stress and his managers did not help him to feel secure or to feel supported. They just help to get him even more stressed by pressuring him about his targets and by not allowing any kind of conversation between workers.

These factors that help to increase work-related stress have consequences. Although stress is not an illness, it can make people ill. This means that it can make people under stress more prone to get sick or to have health problems. It can go from just feel bored and not have any motivation at all to go to work, to anxiety, depression to being emotionally unstable (Shiel, no date). It can increase the risk of heart problems (British Academy, 2010). It can also change your healthy habits. It can make a non-smoker start smoking, in a way of seeking ways to reduce stress. For a smoker, it can make an increase in the number of cigarettes that the person smokes per day. Stress might change the person eating habits, from making him/she eat all the time to not eat at all. It can increase the consumption of alcohol and drugs, and when the person is completely overwhelmed and might think that he/she reaches his/her limit, she might end up by committing suicide (World Health Organization, no date). In “Amazon: The Truth Behind the Click”, after some long shifts running from one side to the other with a heavy trolly, the employee created foot blisters and felt that the job was physically demanded. Another consequence of the long hours and the routine job was that he could not forget the beeping sound from his machine, which did not let him rest, creating insomnias.

However, these consequences are not only for the employee but also for the employer. When employees are under excessive pressure, their performance and job satisfaction decline. They are not motivated so their decision-making is weaker what leads to numbers of human errors getting higher. If people are suffering from the effects of long-term stress, they need to call in sick more often so the company is going to suffer from their absence (for example they might need to contract more people, which involves more investment in training). If the company is a warehouse, stress can increase the number of accidents with employees. If employers harass their employees, at some point they can look for revenge and sabotage the company plans (e.g. they can leak a new idea to the public, or sell a product to a rival company) (British Academy, 2010; Teasdale, 2006)

Companies need to avoid these consequences as much as they can (Allen, 2011). If the employee is healthy, it will give is best contribute to the company, so if the company cares about their employees and what is best for them, the company will be a ‘healthy’ company as well. The company can achieve this by paying attention to their staff, to make their work environment more organized, by recognizing their hard workers, by giving more training and enough tools for staff to develop their jobs with more security and confidence (Teasdale, 20016). Also, if the company listens to their staff’s opinions, or if they are given more responsibility, support, and trust they will feel more integrated into the company that will lead to more effort to succeed. Another point that a “healthy” company should consider is the working hours and their flexibility. Their staff needs to be able to have time to develop their personal life (Hope, 2015). If, for example, one person can go on holiday, it is very likely that when returns to work the person is going to be happy to be back, probably are going to have new ideas and be more creative. Stress will always be present at work, so instead of ignoring it, companies should have ways to help their employees to cope with it. One possibility is by having medical advice available, or to do workshops (how to cope with stress, how to work as a team, or actual learning workshops regarding the company subject) or lectures (British Academy, 2010; Teasdale, 2006).

Nevertheless, employees should try to be able to cope with stress without depending on their company. The first step is to acknowledge the stress and to analyse if and which problems are causing, not forgetting physical problems (fatigue or headaches). The next step is to try to find some possible causes for the stress, then try to dive them into two parts, the ones that are out of the person control and the ones that are possible to make some changes to avoid more stress. Consider these last ones and try to find solutions for them by making small changes at work or in private life (Mental Health Foundation, 2018). Another helpful step is to have strong relationships. To create a strong bond with people that it is possible to rely on, it can be friends, family, colleagues (King and Lawley, 2019), or some reading club for example. Eating healthy and being careful with drugs and alcohol also can help to improve well-being (Mental Health Foundation, 2018). One more way that will help to reduce stress is by doing exercise, it can help to liberate stress and feel more “light” (Hope, 2015).

Concluding, stress is the body response to help to cope with unusual situations. When a person is under pressure, usually at work, they can feel stressed however, when the pressure is excessive and the person is constantly feeling stressed, it develops long-term stress. Long-term stress can lead to having health problems, such as fatigue or heart problems. These problems not only affect the employee but also the employer. To improve the work environment and avoid both the company and staff feeling stressed, they need to work together. The company needs to provide appropriate conditions, support, trust and reasonable hours. And needs to provide help to help to cope with stress. While staff needs to do their best job, working with the company to achieve their targets and be loyal. Also, staff cannot depend on the company to cope with stress, they need to have their solutions as well.

Stress management is conducive to reducing the excessive psychological pressure of employees. When employees are in a group, they can feel the power of the collective, so they are not lonely, afraid, and have a sense of belonging. Maintaining moderate pressure and interdependence among employees creates a sense of identity. Moderate pressure is the driving force of work, forming unique psychological habits and positioning role, which is the sense of role. The implementation of pressure management in enterprises and the mutual care and care of group members can eliminate the dull psychology and generate a sense of strength so that employees can improve their work efficiency and the performance of the whole organization. When an organization knows the pressure of employees in different timelines and conducts management to dredge it, it will take a correct attitude to examine employees’ inner feelings, pressure sources, and opinions. Attaching importance to the stress management of employees has become the human resource management of the organization. Thus, organizations should set up these preventive solutions to manage stress:

First, employees work pressure preventive solutions. It should establish a formal organizational communication mechanism to achieve seamless communication. Communication is a good way to release stress. It provides a way to express emotions. Effective communication channels help employees understand the company’s status and changes in the external environment in a timely manner, so that they can make adjustments in a timely manner, change from passive to active, and reduce stress. When employees are in a work environment beyond their capacity, set strategies of work stress management of employees they often feel stressed out. Therefore, ensuring that employees’ ability meets the requirements of the work is the basic starting point of human resources management. In the hiring, it is necessary to reduce the blindness of employees’ work awareness through pre-introduction of work topics, thereby reducing stress. On another side, the hire must meet the job requirements, and strive to avoid after taking up the job, there is huge psychological pressure because of incompetence. The organization should provide more welfare like high wages, housing, medical care, and social insurance. These comprehensive benefits could effectively reduce the external pressure of work for employees.

Second, employees personal pressure preventive solution. A person’s mindset and way of thinking largely determines the person’s attitude and views, so change personal mind and understand stress correctly. Cultivate the ability of employees to control psychological stress and anxiety: To reduce the harm of psychological negative factors, requires efforts at both the organizational and individual levels. Letting employees learn to manage their own stress and anxiety is an important way for both levels to work together. In this regard, both attitude guidance and specific methods should be taught to employees. Employees don’t have to worry too much about their weaknesses, but they must give full play to their strengths and make themselves confident to solve their depression problems. There are some tips to reduce personal pressures:

1. The principles of time management commonly used in work and complete the most important things in your most productive time period jobs.
2. A healthy body thereby reducing the effects of stress, the best way is take a good sleep.
3. Take time to make fun and relaxation, and keep sense of humor because this is a good way to fight stress.
4. While stress is an automatic response from nervous system, to practice the 4 A’s (Avoid, Alter, Adapt and Accept) of stress management.
5. There is nothing more calming than spending quality time with another human being who makes safe and understood.
6. The fastest way to reduce stress is by taking a deep breath and using all senses to relieve stress in the moment.
7. Maintaining an optimistic attitude can give impetus to personal development.
8. Individuals must establish good values and formulate a practical career plan (Robinson, Smith, and Segal, 2019). Self-confidence is a kind of confidence that an individual often maintains in self-ability, identity and value. Only by strengthening self-confidence cultivating and exercising strong willpower can adapt to the stress environment.

Third, Organizations could look for some different ways to helping employees cope with stress, it includes promote mental health plan, making clear expectations to employees, and to create fair work treatments. At the same time,

Organization approaches to managing stress:

1. The organization should popularize the knowledge of stress management to employees, and it also sets up publicity columns to promote employees’ mental health knowledge. Establish corresponding pressure consulting organizations or institutions to help employees relieve stress. The main idea is to help employees manage stress by maintaining physical and mental health. Content is a way to reduce stress for employees. The reason for implementing the plan is that in the final analysis, employees’ own lives must be controlled by employees themselves. Employee self-management and self-adjustment are the most effective way to relieve stress.
2. As a manager of an organization must be made clear expectations to employees. In a workplace, managers should change unreasonable beliefs and behavior patterns to help employees clear descriptions of their job to less stress. If managers don’t make clear descriptions for their jobs, the employee will feel role ambiguity and conflict in the work environment. On other hand, the human resources department should feedback the performance evaluation results to employees in a timely manner, and let employees participate in some of their decisions, so as to reduce the ambiguity of roles and conflicts, and reduce the uncertainty of tasks and roles. According to the research showed that exactly how role stress and various performances of individuals are related has received considerable attention, in which stress has been found to affect individual creativity (Yan and Chen, 2010).
3. Organization to create fair work treatment for the employee. Organizations improve the working environment and conditions to provide employees with a pleasant and ensure they have good tools and equipment to do their jobs well. Allowing employees to freely determine the time to go to work within a specific period of time, and to arrange their time reasonably. This way will not only help the organization handle work, life, and family balance but also more effectively complete tasks. To help employees set up goals can enhance employees’ motivation, and to plan some activities such as reading, running or play basketball, and so on.

As individuals interact with the workplace environment, there occur situations where one cannot cope with associated demands and pressures. Besides affecting one’s physical and emotional health, the stress in the workplace can undermine one’s productivity hence harming the organization. The high incidence of workplace stress necessitates research into causes of stress and how the individual and the organization can contribute to stress management. Investing in stress management is important since the productivity of human resources is key to a firm’s success.

Managing Stress

As an intern at XYZ organization, I experienced several overwhelming situations. Most of it was caused by my inexperience in workplace dynamics. Within a few weeks, however, I was conversant with workplace activities and could work comfortably with minimal supervision. My colleague, Peter’s, situation resonates when it comes to workplace stress. Peter was a middle manager at XYZ organization. He had worked hard to achieve the position after six years at the company. For Peter, promotion to a management role was critical to his ideal career development path. At last, he could be involved in strategic planning and help implement strategies that would drive the firm to the future. However, within months of his promotion, Peter started having doubts regarding his new job. As the link between executive management and employees, he regularly found himself in the middle of conflicts between the two groups. His workload increased substantially, and he spent more time at the workplace as he tried to implement strategies prescribed by the organization’s top leadership. Peter felt underappreciated and was concerned that his career would stall at middle management.

Peter’s stress was the result of role conflict, high workload, and difficulties negotiating organizational power dynamics as a middle manager. According to Anicich and Hirsh (660), the last cause of stress results from the nature of the middle manager’s job which involves interacting with various stakeholder groups which most likely have conflicting priorities. Peter’s stress had a negative impact on the workplace. He always seemed distracted and had trouble concentrating on even the smallest tasks. The effect of this development was the quality of Peter’s decision-making decreased drastically. He seemed to lack the motivation to turn up to work every day and perform his supervisory duties. Another important observation was that Peter was increasingly temperamental. Even the smallest mistakes angered him, and he lacked the patience to allow junior employees to learn about workplace operations. Stress was affecting his ability to work, and it was clear at the time that the situation had to be managed to avoid Peter’s situation developing to occupational ill-health.

Since workplace stress is gradual, it is important to know associated symptoms so that one can recognize stress not only in oneself but also in workplace colleagues and implement relevant stress management techniques. Behavioral symptoms of workplace stress include increased irritability, social isolation, changes in eating habits, changes in sleeping patterns, increased alcohol consumption, self-medication, becoming less cooperative and more accident-prone, and neglect of personal appearance. Physiological symptoms, on the other hand, include headaches, stomach problems, fatigue, muscle spasms, and raised blood pressure. Additionally, a stressed individual could also exhibit psychological symptoms such as anxiety, forgetfulness, apathy, and low self-esteem (Hilton and Whiteford 924). A practical stress management technique that I could use to overcome workplace stress is mindfulness meditation. Life can be hectic in the workplace hence emphasizing the importance of slowing things down and concentrating on one’s mental health. Meditation helps cultivate calmness in the mind and body which helps relieve stress-related tension. The consistent practice eventually transforms how one deals with difficult situations in the workplace since one develops resilience to stress. For an individual like Peter, mindfulness meditation would help him remain in the present and deal with the disappointments of middle management more positively. Despite the severity of workplace stress symptoms, mindfulness meditation can help overcome stress.

An organization’s management has a duty of care towards its employees and as such should address workplace stress by using preventative measures, identifying stress symptoms, and developing stress management programs. Since the incidence of stress in the workplace is on the rise, an organization’s management should be proactive. Accordingly, management should foster a conducive and supportive workplace atmosphere as the foundation of the proactive approach. The management could take several actions in this regard. First is encouraging and providing access to health and wellbeing opportunities. An employee feeling the strain of work would, therefore, get prompt treatment. Secondly, an organization’s management should empower staff to exercise some control over their workload. Encouraging staff to give views on their workload ensures better workload management hence helping avoid burnout which could lead to workplace stress. Another important consideration is considering the use of flexible working schedules. The move would help improve work-life balance which is necessary if employees are to remain contented with their work arrangement and thus maintain productivity. Regarding identifying the symptoms of stress, individual managers should have knowledge of their team and their working styles. The management would, therefore, identify uncharacteristic behavior which could be indicative of workplace stress early enough and act accordingly.

Counseling, advising, and mentoring are effective strategies for providing support for staff which could help in stress management. Counselling provides support by providing a safe place for individuals to talk about troubling issues. Besides, counselors help individuals find solutions to their problems and help develop coping strategies. Counseling should be offered as a specialist resource for all staff that can be accessed at any time. Providing advice, on the other hand, is appropriate when a manager notices a behavioral change in a staff member. While only a short-term fix, proper advice could help an employee deal with issues at the workplace better. Mentoring is a long-term engagement that involves a senior employee guiding a junior employee through high-pressure situations. Accordingly, advice can take place at any time since the parties involved are in close contact. Mentoring is especially effective when an employee thinks that they have messed up and that they are not good enough for the job. Through the use of knowledge and experience, mentoring helps individuals handle anxiety better.

Conclusion

Stress in the workplace is prevalent in the modern organization hence making it imperative for organizational leadership to take reactive measures to deal with the situation. Workplace stress results from factors such as work overload, role ambiguity and conflict, poor workplace relationships, and organizational structure. Understanding causes as well as symptoms of workplace stress is key to developing stress management strategies. Techniques such as meditation and management initiatives such as counseling, advising, and mentoring have proved important in providing support for individuals.

In this module, I was able to measure my knowledge of just how much stress I’m under and how that’s impacting my mind and body. I was however astonished to find out about the effects of long-term stress on both my brain and my body.

APA Quiz Results

When I took the WebMD quiz, I managed to score 92 percent, missing just one question. Hardly any of the responses were especially surprising to me since I had many stressful experiences personally and as part of my previous career. I was on active duty Army for over 18 years and was responsible for the preparation and management of all the logistics management that took place in my company. I’ve been under stress often, and I’ve been doing studies on my own to take steps to reduce stress and deal with environmental and personal stimuli. Part of my job was to manage property loss during training exercises and manage the movement of all property. Stress came with the job because I had to manage multiple people and their properties. Seeing all the impacts that stress could have on the human body is rather alarming and therefore should not be taken lightly, particularly in a job like the Army. I begin to understand more about stress, its effects, and ways to reduce stress in my life.

Common Myths

In Article 6 Myths About Stress, the APA lists several of the most common stress myths. Stress has been indicated in many research studies in exacerbating very real physical illnesses — everything from heart disease to Alzheimer’s disease (APA, 2018). The misconception that I find most inaccurate is that only severe symptoms demand attention. It strikes a chord for me, as a previous active military member, this is an issue that doesn’t seem to be fading away. Life in the military is very stressful. You are away from your families for weeks sometimes months. Then you throw deployments in there. Now you have more stress from being away from your family to being in a different country fighting to stay alive. Soldiers do find themselves somewhat stressed out, and then the next thing you know, you’re beginning to see the reports about a rise in suicides among service members. Minor symptoms of stress are the early warnings that your life is getting out of hand and that you need to do a better job of managing stress (APA, 2018).

How Stress Affects the Brain

Many people understand that stress will affect you over time if it’s not under control. Since watching the video (Murgia, 2017) I will make an effort to get my stress under control. He guides us through the chemical process through which the human brain is affected by stress and the long-term effects that it has on our bodies. Stress is really not a bad thing. Stress is beneficial when it improves our concentration or increases adrenaline, for example in sports or public speaking. Prolonged stress that many of us encounter in relationship issues, employment issues, financial problems, etc., will significantly change the brain. Chronic stress can affect the size, structure, and function of the brain.

Stress starts with the pituitary-adrenal axis hypothalamus (HPAA). A variety of connections between the brain and the kidneys. The HPAA also regulates how the body responds to stress. If you’re under stress the HPAA releases a hormone called cortisol. Increased cortisol levels over a prolonged period of time can damage your brain. Chronic stress increases the number of neural pathways in the amygdala, the brain’s fear core, and as cortisol levels continue to increase, the hippocampus degrades. The hippocampus is essential for people’s memories, learning, and stress management and also reduces the activity of the HPA Axis. When the Axis of HPA is diminished, so is the ability to control stress. Cortisol will make the brain shrink. Too much cortisol contributes to the reduction of the pre-frontal cortex that controls decision-making, attention, judgment, and social interactions. This could cause depression and Alzheimer’s disease.

The video also revealed a study with rats in which the amount of affection that the mother rat gave her baby played a big part in how that baby reacted to stress later in life. The newborns that were nurtured by their mothers produced more cortisol and were not as prone to stress. The babies of neglectful mothers were the complete opposite. They were far more susceptible to stress. This is called epigenetic alterations and can be corrected in the same way that the results of prolonged stress can be changed in our brains. Work outings and meditation with breathing exercises will reduce stress and increase the size of your hippocampus by helping to improve your memory.

Do you think cognitive stress has the most influence (or impact) on the body’s response to stress? Explain.

I most definitely agree that cognitive stress has the greatest effect on the human body. It has the biggest impact on the body more than any other stressors or stress-related symptoms. Cognitive stress has an effect on your brain. Your brain is the command center of your whole body. The second you change that command center; things will begin to get crazy. Long-term stress results in an increase in cortisol, which can be harmful to the brain. Extended periods of cognitive stress usually equate to loss of memory and Alzheimer’s disease. It can be difficult to cope with the effects of chronic stress. Since the cause of prolonged stress is more continuous than acute stress, the body never receives a clear message to return to normal operation. For chronic stress, the same life-saving reactions in the body will affect the respiratory, digestive, cardiovascular, sleep, and reproductive organs. So it’s my opinion that if you let stress overwhelm you and let it affect you for a long period, you’ll start breaking down.

Short-Term Versus Long-Term Stress

The brain is impacted rather differently by contrasting short-term stress with long-term stress. Stress is your brain’s way to arrange and coordinate things. When you think of short-term stress, you think of the fight or flight response. Short-term stress can sometimes be effective. Stress could push you to prosper in such circumstances as taking an exam or interviewing for a job. Stress could keep you vigilant and focused, too. On the other end, prolonged stress is harmful to you, because your body never receives all the evidence to return to a normal state of homeostasis. The issue, however, is this; the body reacts to both of them in the same way. While short-term stress could be beneficial for you, long-term stress has many negative consequences on your body.

If managed correctly, can stress be a good thing?

Indeed, stress can be a good thing if it’s managed properly. You should first identify the signs of your body’s reaction to stress. When you see that stress has a harmful impact on your health, attempt to identify and minimize stressors as much as you can, and if you’re unable to do otherwise, speak to your doctor. Daily exercise and relaxation could also help to control stress. You are coping with stress such as a new job or wedding plans, establishing a prioritized timeline, and setting goals that can be accomplished. Checking the boxes could contribute to completion and permit your brain to rest if only for a few moments. I personally think that stress can be controlled and used efficiently because, without stress, we would not be here as humans.