When seeking balance between the many aspects of life and the work environment, it’s easy to feel stretched. When left unaddressed, a person can easily transition to a state of burnout. In the same way that spilled milk spreads across a floor, job stress also spreads to touch your mental, emotional, and physical health.

New stress coaching clients often tell me, “Everything was fine and then, one day, my life wasn’t fine anymore.”

Sometimes, changes can happen quickly. I’ve learned that personally after a stroke. Nothing seemed to be the same after that day. (Then, 20 months later, another one came and things got worse.)

Most often, we find their stress levels continued elevating over a period of months, or sometimes years, before choosing natural processes like stress coaching.

Before looking closer at work stress, we should look at how life awareness can pave a safer road ahead when you take action. The stressors in life can impact your job and career. Likewise, the stressors at work can add stress to your personal life. It’s important to get help early before reaching a level of overwhelm.

As humans, we adapt to our circumstances …until we don’t.

Situational Awareness

There’s value in scanning the various situations in our life; are they healthy, or should there be change? Situational awareness is like driving a car on a busy highway, and recognizing increasing stress responses is like noticing warning signs on the dashboard.

Imagine you’re driving along a congested highway during rush hour. To navigate through the chaos safely, you need an awareness of your surroundings, checking your mirrors, assessing traffic flow, and staying aware of potential hazards. Vigilance is necessary to reach your destination safely.

Situational awareness in your life means being present and attentive to your surrounding circumstances, the people, environments, and events that can impact your well-being.

Your mind and body also have warning signs that warn of increasing stress levels or dangers, just like a car. These signs serve as indicators to take action before things are worse.

Situational awareness is the “dashboard” of your well-being.

When stress builds up, our bodies can experience increased heart rate, blood pressure, tight muscles, or a surge of adrenaline. Mentally and emotionally, we may experience irritability, difficulty concentrating, or feelings of overwhelm.

Being situationally aware of increasing stress responses is important to safely navigate the complexities of life and maintain your well-being.

Understanding Job Stress

Job stresses can take various forms, ranging from workload pressure to interpersonal conflicts in the workplace. Research shows a direct correlation between job stress and adverse health outcomes. It’s imperative to comprehend the diverse stressors that can arise in a professional setting.

A Few Work Stressors

• Heavy workload and tight deadlines, which can lead to stress and burnout.
• Meeting targets or goals under constant pressure is also a challenge, often resulting in long working hours.
• Dealing with challenging clients, customers, managers, coworkers, and navigating office politics.
• A lack of work-life balance, where personal and professional lives converge without time to refresh.
• Unclear job expectations and changing demands that lead to confusion and frustration.
• The fear and uncertainty of layoffs or downsizing adds further anxiety.
• Employees feel underappreciated from lack of recognition and limited career opportunities.
• Insufficient resources or support from management, and poor communication within teams or organizations.
• Juggling multiple projects or tasks simultaneously and facing ambiguity and uncertainty in decision-making add to the workload.
• Work-related travel or long commutes can affect physical and mental health.
• Some organizations have an unhealthy culture, climate and management creates a toxic environment.

Overall, this list is a small view of the many difficulties employees encounter in their jobs that adds stress to their lives.

Recognizing Signs of Job Burnout

Signs of burnout often manifest through behavioral changes, such as increased irritability, withdrawal from colleagues, and decreased productivity. Emotional indicators, including persistent feelings of distrust and detachment, are also common.

Recognizing these signs early is critical. Without taking proactive personal action, your health and well-being will gravitate to the negative without help. I’ve seen this first-hand in a toxic environment where there were people having heart attacks, strokes, cancer, depression and suicides. This is why I pointed to situational awareness earlier. Pay attention to indicators of increased stressors affecting your mental, emotional, and physical health.

Visit the Workplace Environment Free Self-Reflection Exercise

This short 7-question tool helps you overcome negative experiences of your workplace. With awareness, you can transform your life and career into one filled with confidence, kindness, positivity, and joy. The first step to overcome a negative situation is allowing yourself to recognize how the environment touches you, cognitively, and physically.

Once complete, I receive an email. I then compile it and reply to you with thoughts that can help you. All emails and data are confidential.

Visit the Free Workplace Self-Reflection Exercise here:

https://www.leadership-matters.org/workplace-environment

Strategies to Overcome Workplace Stress

Addressing job stress involves pursuing positive adopting coping mechanisms. I say “Positive” because many people stuck in a burnout mode resorted to a long list of negative coping mechanisms that can eventually kill them.

Here are a few (of many) things you can add to your life to counter stress:

• Mindfulness and Meditation: Taking a few minutes each day to focus on your breathing and clear your mind can help reduce stress and increase focus and productivity.
• Realistic Goals and Prioritize Tasks: Identify what needs to be done first and break larger tasks into smaller, manageable parts. Setting achievable goals can help prevent feeling overwhelmed.
• Task Share: Don’t be afraid to ask for help or delegate tasks to your colleagues. Sharing the workload can lighten the burden and promote a positive and collaborative work environment.
• Take Regular Breaks: Allow yourself moments throughout the day to relax and recharge. Stepping away from your desk and engaging in a different activity can help clear your mind and improve focus.
• Time Management: Plan and schedule your day in advance to prevent last-minute rushes and reduce stress caused by time constraints. Prioritize important tasks and allocate time for breaks and relaxation.
• Healthy Work-Life Balance: Ensure you have time for activities outside of work that you enjoy, like hobbies, exercise, spending time with loved ones, or self-care. This can help reduce stress levels and increase overall well-being.
• Support Network: Cultivate positive relationships with colleagues and seek support from friends, family, or professional networks when needed. Having a support system can provide emotional support and guidance during stressful times.
• Effective Communication: Clearly express your needs, concerns, and boundaries to your coworkers and supervisors. Open and honest communication can help prevent misunderstandings and reduce unnecessary stress.
• Stress-Relieving Activities: Find activities that help you relax and reduce stress, like yoga, walking, listening to music, or a favorite hobby. Engaging in pleasurable activities outside of work can help unwind and rejuvenate.
• Professional Help: If workplace stress becomes overwhelming and affects your physical or mental health, consider seeking professional help from a therapist, stress coach, or counselor who can guide you through stress management techniques and provide support.

Build Resilience

Building resilience is key to preventing job burnout. Cultivating a positive work environment, focusing on professional growth, and achieving a balance between work and personal life contribute to increased resilience. Nurturing resilience enhances the ability to cope with challenges and thrive in the face of challenges.

Visit my Free Resilience Series at:

https://anthonymdavis.com/the-resilience-series

This series addresses resilience from different directions and wherever you are, it will be helpful.

Final Thoughts

Recognizing and addressing job stress is essential for preventing burnout and building a healthy and fulfilling career. By understanding the signs, implementing effective strategies, and building resilience, you can navigate the complexities of the modern workplace, ensuring long-term professional success and well-being.

A Source to Help You…

Anthony M. Davis is a Certified Leadership, Success and Stress Coach. He is a clinically trained Board Certified Hypnotherapist.

He has earned a national reputation for his Transformative Life Centering work with clients from across the nation. His unique approach helps clients remove underlying fears and triggers, and then, through coaching, helps them pursue and accomplish life and career goals.

He provides Coaching and Hypnotherapy sessions remotely through Zoom. If you have challenges and are ready to move past them, Contact him Here to create the life change you desire.

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