Work stress: causes, and how to combat it

Currently, one of the main problems that we attend to in our practice is the so-called burnout or work stress. Therefore, we are going to try to reflect what it consists of, what consequences it usually entails and how we can address it.

• Related article: "Types of stress and their triggers"

Work stress: what is it, and possible causes

We tend to think that stress equals task load and that it always means discomfort, but this is not exactly the case. What we understand by stress does not have to be something negative, in a certain amount, can activate us and make us perform better.

On the other hand, what we usually understand by stress with negative connotations usually occurs when there is an imbalance between the tasks that we must do or that are required of us and our possibilities, that is, we do not feel capable of responding to certain demands. Therefore, in the work environment, it is very common for this type of discomfort to arise.

Also, job stress It is usually associated with other factors that in turn cause it indirectlysuch as the following.

• Bad work environment or some social relationship at work that involves an emotional charge.
• Feeling lonely at work or not having any social relationship at work.
• Lack of control in your own work, that is, if the tasks you perform depend on other people, if you do not have decision-making power in schedules, tasks, etc.
• Task overload for the time available, and even more so if this requires “taking work home”. That work takes up too much time in your life is usually the factor most associated with work stress.
• Fuzzy tasks and poorly defined objectives.
• Differences between own values ​​and those of the company.
• Little reinforcement from colleagues and / or superiors.
• Competitive environment.
• Leadership style dysfunctional on the part of superiors (they can either be very authoritarian or, on the contrary, very passive and without imposing any obligation, generating ambivalence, etc.).
• Suffering threats of dismissal or similar.
• Work in precarious conditions and / or out of dire financial need.
• Doing a job that is too difficult without prior training or, on the contrary, too easy for the person, or too monotonous.
• Continuous complaints or demands from colleagues and / or superiors.
• Not feeling professionally developed, which is usually accompanied by the development of tasks that are not the person's own.

There may be other additional causess depending on the context in which you work.

• You may be interested: "Work and organizational psychology: a profession with a future"

What does a person who suffers work stress feel?

Work stress usually manifests with some or all of the following symptoms.

• Increased irritability
• Insomnia or other sleep disorders
• Gastrointestinal discomfort
• Demotivation towards employment or even towards leisure tasks
• Physical, mental and emotional exhaustion that can lead to apathy and even a depressed mood.
• Lowering of defenses and, as a possible consequence, propensity to acquire various diseases.
• Learned helplessness (learning that what happens to us cannot be changed, that we cannot do anything).
• Feeling dull and / or depersonalized
• Anxiety, which can be expressed in a continuous nervousness and is accompanied by specific anxiety attacks.
• Family and social problems, which are usually linked to the change in the person's mood and the lack of time spent with the closest circle.

How can we get rid of this problem?

If you have detected that you suffer from work stress, it is very important and necessary to request psychological help since, although wanting to stop this stress is a big step, wanting to do it alone and not knowing how it can generate more frustration and be another added burden.

In addition, deciding, for example, to give up certain tasks or change jobs, is something that is usually difficult to do without suffering even more stress. For this and for other reasons, that a psychologist accompany you on this path is essential.

In psychological therapy, exactly what are the reasons for this stress is assessed, since it is not the same manage a bad work environment or an inadequate leadership style on the part of the superior, who does not have free time.

Once what the patient feels and why has been detected and evaluated, they proceed to equip them with tools in order to:

• Eliminate symptoms of stress
• Adopt behaviors that may be beneficial such as considering eliminating certain tasks, changing jobs, talking to the superior, resting more, etc.
• Change irrational thoughts about the situation experienced, for example, those of guilt, anger and frustration etc.

That is, it works on a triple plane, at a physiological level (reduce anxiety, irritability, depression ...) at the cognitive level, and at the behavioral level (what can I do to change what is happening?).