Stress at work: causes and how to combat it.

A review of the most frequent causes of work stress and the measures to adopt.

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

Job stress: what it is, and possible causes.

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

On the other hand, what we usually understand as stress with negative connotations usually occurs when there is an imbalance between the tasks that we must do or that are demanded of us and our possibilities, i.e., 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.

In addition, work-related stress is often associated with other factors that in turn cause it indirectly, such as the following.such as the following.

• Bad work environment or any social relationship at work that involves emotional burden.
• Feeling lonely at work or not having any social relationship at work.
• Lack of control in the work itself, that is, if the tasks you perform depend on other people, if you have no power of decision in schedules, tasks, etc.
• Overload of tasks for the time available, and even more so if this requires "taking work home". Work taking up too much time in your life is often the factor most associated with work stress.
• Fuzzy tasks and poorly defined objectives.
• Differences between your own values and those of the company.
• Little reinforcement from colleagues and/or superiors.
• Competitive environment.
• Dysfunctional leadership style 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.
• Working in precarious conditions and/or out of dire economic necessity.
• Carrying out work that is too difficult without previous 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 often accompanied by the development of tasks that are not the person's own.

There may be additional causes depending on the context in whichdepending on the context in which they work.

What does a person suffering from work stress feel?

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

• Increased irritability
• Insomnia or other sleep disorders
• Gastrointestinal discomfort
• Demotivation towards work or even leisure tasks
• Physical, mental and emotional exhaustion that can lead to apathy and even a depressive 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 of dullness and/or depersonalization.
• Anxiety, which can be expressed in a continuous nervousness and be accompanied by occasional anxiety crises.
• Family and social problems, which are often linked to the change in the mood of the person and the lack of time spent with the closest circle.

How can we get rid of this problem?

If you have detected that you are suffering from work-related stress, it is very important and necessary to seek psychological help. because, although wanting to stop this stress is a big step, wanting to do it alone and not knowing how to do 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 often difficult to do without suffering even more stress. For this and other reasons, it is essential that a psychologist accompanies you on this path..

Psychological therapy assesses exactly what the reasons for this stress are, since it is not the same to manage a bad working environment or an inadequate style of leadership by the superior, as it is to have no free time.

Once we have detected and evaluated what the patient feels and why, we proceed to provide him/her with tools to to:

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

That is to say, we work on a triple level, at a physiological level (reduce anxiety, irritability, depression...) at a cognitive level, and at a behavioral level (what can I do to change what is happening to me?).