People often see work as a burden that they have to go through to live a stable and comfortable life. However, the level of stress people feels when they go to their jobs is unhealthy and should not be ignored. There are ways to be productive in your job while addressing your mental health issues.

Stress oftentimes has physical symptoms. According to research, people who feel stressed have experienced the following:

• Fatigue
• Headache
• Upset stomach
• Tension in the muscles
• Change in eating habits or appetite
• Grinding teeth
• Change in sex drive
• Nausea

Aside from the ones mentioned above, there are also psychological symptoms such as irritability, anger, nervousness, lack of energy, and depression.

Common Reasons of Stress in Workplace

Our work life is one of the biggest aspects of our lives. However, people think that this is one of the common sources of stress. According to The American Institute of Stress (AIS), there are four main reasons for stress that affects your workplace health and safety.

1. Workload

Heavy workload is perhaps one of the main issues that people complain about when they are stressed about work. 46% of the respondents in the AIS’s survey cited workload as the main cause of their workplace stress. Aside from that, Tiny Pulse estimated that around 70% of employees are actually overloaded with work.

A lot of employers are trying to save money by not hiring enough workers to do a certain task. This is often the reason why their employees are overworked. The amount of workload also sometimes does not reflect their salaries. Overworked people also complain that they are underpaid.

2. People Issues

Oftentimes, you cannot pick who you work with as an employee. Being professional and cordial is still encouraged even if you do not find them agreeable. However, in a study conducted by Gallup, 36% of the respondents have mentioned that they find it difficult to express their opinions about their current condition to their superiors.

The same study also says that 26% of the respondents do not feel like they are being recognized or awarded for good performance. All of these issues point to problems with management that contribute to people issues that cause friction in the workplace environment.

Aside from that, 19% of employees have also witnessed bullying in the workplace. They also believe that negative attitudes are far more likely to spread than positivity. On top of a heavy workload, bullying is also seen as one of the main reasons why a lot of people feel stressed in their jobs. This bullying cases can even lead to severe mental health issues if not addressed properly.

Another factor can be compassion fatigue. Given that teams are created to help each other with tasks or projects, some people might even go out of their way to help their colleagues with work. However, this can lead to compassion fatigue, wherein people become emotionally and physically drained helping others.

3. Juggling Work and Personal Lives

According to American Psychological Association, 43% of workers believe that their employers do not care about their employees having balanced work and personal lives.

It’s no secret that employers want to keep generating income-sometimes even to the expense of their employee’s mental health. This is one of the reasons why a lot of people don’t have a healthy work and personal life balance.

Furthermore, stress due to work can also be the reason why families fight. It’s common for people who are overworked to experience problems in their own household. Their family members might not think that they are escaping their responsibilities at home or simply feel neglected. These can further add to the stress that someone is already feeling.

4. Lack of Job Security

Another reason why people feel stressed is that they think that they might not have stability in their companies. After all, if they lose their job, they might have a financial crisis. Most people who are in this situation often continue to work even if they are already burnt out. This leads to mental health problems that are more difficult to fix.

People who lack job security might also feel that their workplace health and safety is at risk. They often overwork themselves just to show that they are irreplaceable. Especially for people who like to please people, this recurring actions can lead to compassion fatigue, and might be the reason why people feel more stressed.

How to Overcome Stress in Workplace?

It’s not easy to get rid of stress, but there are steps you can take to lessen the stress you are feeling. Ultimately, having a stress-free life is your goal. But for now, doing your best to reduce the anxiety and stress can help you find a better solution to your problems.

Here are some of the easiest and effective ways to achieve workplace health and safety when it comes to your mental health.

1. Understand what stresses you

Before you can even take any step to reducing your stress levels, you must first understand why you’re feeling stressed. There are four main reasons for workplace stress as stated above, but there are also more personal reasons that might be unique to you.

Here are some other workplace stressors that might be affecting your mood:

• Lack of social support
• Few or no opportunities for career growth
• Low income
• Work is not challenging or engaging enough

Whatever your reason might be, it’s best to understand what really stresses you out. Only then can you begin to work on removing the causes of your problems in the workplace.

2. Develop healthy responses to stress

It’s undeniable that people are more prone to developing bad habits when they are stressed. This might be an occasional cigarette every time a meeting doesn’t go well or frequenting the bar on Friday nights after work. While these responses alleviate stress, they are not healthy responses to it.

Yoga is one of the best hobbies you can do to lessen your stress. It’s known that it reduces your stress level while also improving your sleep quality.

3. Recharge yourself

After being stressed for a long period of time, you might feel the effects of burnout. When it happens, you have no choice but to take a break from everything and have your well-deserved rest. You won’t be able to function as well as you did before if you simply go back to work without recharging yourself.

You can take a few days off from work if you still have vacation days left. Otherwise, you can simply go out of town during the weekend and be back on a Sunday. You can also do simple things such as going out with your family to eat at a fancy restaurant.

Try to think of something that relaxes you. People sometimes visit the spa and get a massage whenever they feel stressed. You can also try to develop a hobby that can help you feel more at ease and lessen the symptoms of stress.

4. Address the problem

The steps mentioned above are meant to make your stress level manageable. Even after you recharge yourself, the causes of stress might still burn you out later. You need to address the source of your stress and take steps to eliminate it from your life. Mental health issues will not be easily gone as soon as you take a break.

Depending on your situation, you might want to change a few things. If you are no longer happy with your work, then you should consider getting a new job where you might feel more at ease. You can also ask your supervisor to address some workplace problems that cause you stress. You can also focus on your own tasks on the job and let your colleagues do their part. This can help lessen compassion fatigue.