Are you among the 30% of workers who have it?
Hyperstress: what is it?
These are the effects of acute or chronic stress that induces a state of physical, emotional, and cognitive ill-being that often leads to burnout.
Nearly 30% of workers are affected, and if nothing is done, burnout is guaranteed. If your quality of life at work has taken a hit, and you're experiencing some of the symptoms of bad stress listed below, you might be part of that 30% (1).
Symptoms of negative stress (2):
Irritability
Anger
Oversights
Trouble concentrating
Consumption of alcohol, tobacco
Eating disorders
Sleep disturbances, night terrors, nightmares
Shoulder tightness
Throbbing headaches
Appetite disorders, digestive disorders
Muscle aches
Skin reactions
What causes this state of stress?
These symptoms are insidious, they settle slowly into working life. They develop as stress increases. At first, we think it’s normal, but come a time when we can no longer face the pressure. We say, no, it’s no longer okay.
In general, an overload of work can be the cause. We feel hyperstress show up when the list of things to do stretches and we start to wonder how we are going to get there. We can no longer take a step back and set our priorities. The phone, alarms and emails are full of requests to the point where you don't know how to get out of them. The pleasure of working is gone, the stress factors are multiplying and many of the stress symptoms mentioned above appear. There comes a time when anxiety dominates and when you tell yourself that you are going to burst.
Dealing with stress or under stress
Unfortunately, many people do not pay enough attention to these periods of intense professional stress and end up “getting used to it”. Many managers and employees tell themselves that they have a good resistance to stress. They feel capable of carrying on with their daily routine despite the uneasiness that overwhelms them (1). Because of the stress, they have lost all notions of well-being at work. Their working conditions have deteriorated so much that they no longer realize that they no longer have time to relax.
In doing so, they unduly delay asking for help and become veritable time bombs. They not only risk burnout, but they can also damage their cardiovascular health (high blood pressure), suffer from musculoskeletal disorders, risk of depression, anxiety disorders, and even cancer. The problem with this is that certain disorders will mortgage their physical health and their mental health for the rest of their lives (1).
Who is responsible?
Most people attribute their stress to their workplace. “1 out of 2 managers (47%) consider that their stress comes mainly from the workplace. As for employees, the proportion is 2 out of 5 (42%). One employee out of 4 (27%) considers that his stress comes mainly from personal factors, which is much less the case for managers (20%)” (1).
But what about the company?
The figures just quoted raise the question of the contribution of the company in taking charge of this problem. It must tackle the origin and the consequences of stress.
I suggest that we pay more attention to employees' complaints. Some employees will have identified the causes of their stress. This may include a lack of clear communication with immediate superiors, unrealistic workload, lack of support, lack of recognition, lack of autonomy, etc.
The psychosocial risks are often highlighted. The company must agree to pay attention to these risks and consider changing its culture and work organization. We must fight against stress in the work environment and stop seeing the problem as an individual problem. I would add that we need to put in place a prevention approach based on a good action plan. This is the only valid way to overcome this scourge, and to prevent absenteeism and the suffering that will result from it sooner or later.
The Employee
You must listen to the signals that your body sends you, pay attention to the effects of stress, do not overestimate yourself, do not consider excessive stress as normal. Seek help from your immediate supervisor, use company health resources. Just say no to overload. Yes, it can be done!
You must strive to identify the sources of stress that hit you on a daily basis and find strategies to evacuate and contain them. In general, it can be good to:
Do mindfulness meditation and breathing exercises;
Set up a schedule that limits connection time;
Be physically active;
Not abuse alcohol or other substances;
Have a good hygiene of life and sleep;
Maintain good professional and social relations;
Establish rules of living that ensure a good work-life balance
Etc.
Finally, hyperstress is not normal. What is normal is to take care of yourself, to de-stress, to stop constantly working under pressure, to reconnect with positive stress and positive thoughts, and, in the end, it is not forbidden to be a little Zen!
Amélie, your coach
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