Ah stress! We know it, experience it and, sometimes, put up with it. The pace of our modern lives never stops quickening, and the universe in which we live is becoming more complex. Stress, particularly work-related stress, is a growing phenomenon in our society and undoubtedly affects all fields and all occupational classes. Learning to manage stress effectively at work or at home is essential for health, balance and happiness! The negative consequences of stress on health and individual ability also affect corporate performance. It has been called the modern “new evil.” With all the responsibilities that fall to us and all of the goals we are asked to achieve, is it really possible not to give in to the stress of our time? Not entirely. But we can manage it! How do we get there? There are various solutions that involve employers and employees alike. If we want to maintain a minimum of well-being in the workplace, we must learn to manage our stress. If we don’t, tensions will build and perhaps eventually have an impact on our physical and mental health.

Stress is the body’s response to environmental constraints. It can also be defined as a syndrome for coping with a number of emotional, physiological, psychological or social disturbances. Today, work stress presents itself in many ways: performance expectations, conflicts, workload, lack of time, lack of autonomy, work environment (noise), perfectionism, emergencies, work-life balance issues, etc. Several factors are responsible, including sustained pressure, which has its own consequences.

Tighter deadlines, shorter adjustment periods during times when changes are made to take on the competition, unforeseen circumstances, emergencies and other unusual situations can have harmful consequences on employees’ ability to adapt, which inevitably hinders their efficiency. In addition, with technology developing at lightning speed, companies must constantly upgrade their products and services. Frequent changes require employees to demonstrate adaptability and flexibility. This “new knowledge” quickly becomes outdated and updating employees’ skills has become essential. In this context, the feeling of needing to stay ahead, and even of being threatened, makes employees increasingly more susceptible to stress.

The category of stress depends on the nature of a particular situation and the perception we have of it. For example, team work can bring positive stress when the chemistry is good and when the team is successful. On the contrary, bad energy and personality conflicts among colleagues can create negative stress.

Back in the Stone Age, physiological stress was expressed instinctively in the presence of a threat that compromised physical integrity or survival. Today, due to the evolution of the human race, the complexity of our reactions when we are threatened extends well beyond instinct. Emotions and interactions with others become the main cause of stress. Physiologic stress is like a combustible: it is a source of energy. It makes people more alert, stronger and faster. It is important to note that, sometimes, this stress is not related to any precise cause, but is, rather, the result of a subconscious block. Moreover, psychological stress tends to express itself mainly when a person is vulnerable, provoking excessive emotions such as doubt, worry and tension. Psychological stress is like an extinguisher: it is a source of apathy and makes people more lethargic, weaker and slower.

The alarm phase of stress is short term: this is the essential phase from which the first physiological reactions arise (increased heart rate, sweaty hands, faster breathing, etc.). For example, think of the way you feel before giving a presentation, announcing a lay off or terminating an employee.

At the resistance phase, stress persists, the body adapts and remains in a state of alert; it naturally produces other hormones that are added to our defence arsenal. We instinctively become more creative and better at problem solving. For example, this is the time to think about contacting the employee assistance program (EAP) or the management assistance program (MAP). As for the exhaustion phase, when stress becomes chronic, it appears when the period of stress is uninterrupted and the overwhelmed body no longer offers any resistance. We no longer see a way to pull through.

Intense and prolonged, stress reduces performance and can have serious repercussions on one’s health. Furthermore, reactions can vary, making it even more difficult to detect.

Often linked to our attitude, lack of time seems to affect all employees. We put things off for later and do everything at the last minute because we feel more stimulated and able to perform better. This can even make us hesitant to apply various time management techniques. We accept all requests because we aim to please. This attitude often costs a lot of time! And yet, lack of time has become the main source of stress. Therefore, it is important to learn how to manage our time, because it’s the only way we can adapt to the contemporary world!

Did you know? It has been proven that taking an hour to plan makes it possible to reduce our weekly activities by five hours. Therefore, 15 minutes of planning a day = 75 more minutes of productivity each day! Accomplishing scheduled tasks on a daily basis gives us a feeling of satisfaction. This is even truer of more important or noteworthy tasks and the reason why a realistic and well-kept schedule brings a great feeling of relaxation at the end of the day!

Developing a strategy for coping with stress

Stop ———> Take a step back

Evaluate ———> Identify what isn’t working

Decide ———> Choose to make changes