According to ‘mental health UK’ stress may be defined as the degree to which you feel overwhelmed or unable to cope as a result of pressures that are unmanageable. Stress may develop from a series of occurrences in our lives and may derive from work, home life, relationships etc.
In the workplace stress my cause us to become distracted and sometimes unfortunate accidents.
It is important to identify the signs and symptoms of stress which may include but are not limited to fatigue, irritability, an upset stomach, headaches, loss of appetite, overeating, tight neck muscles, and the list goes on. Pay attention to yourself and your feelings enough to recognise when you are stressed.
One of the best ways to control stress is by first recognising your stressors; these may be family issues, feeling like there isn’t enough time, unexpected change, new responsibilities or even personality clashes just to name a few.
Once you have identified your stressors, these three steps may be of help to you:
1) Acceptance – there are some things that are out of our control and we have to let whatever it is, run it’s course. We must accept that there are some things and situations that we may not be able to do anything about and instead employ positive thoughts such as ‘I will get through this,’ ‘this is a learning experience.’
2) Attitude – reduce your stress level by taking a positive approach to the challenge that you face. Ask yourself what you can learn from the situation, how can you prepare yourself in case something like this happens again or even what good could come of it. Solutions tend to come easier when we focus on the positive and also we keep stress levels down.
3) Perspective – many times we often worry about situations that never happen, thinking about the what ifs. Keep life in perspective enjoy where you are and think ‘what I am worrying about, does it matter?’ ‘Will I even remember this tomorrow?’ Focus on the now and the positive.