Are You Missing These Signs of Workplace Stress? Unlock the Secrets to a Healthier Work Life!
Workplace stress – it’s unavoidable, written off as “normal”, but often taking its toll on our well-being and general happiness. As a natural born worrier and catastrophizer, I've doubly needed to figure out how to recognize the signs toxic stress and take control of my own satisfaction with my work life.
Toxic work stress a complex interplay of environmental factors, interpersonal dynamics, and individual responses that can wreak havoc on our mental and physical health. From piling task lists to troubling office politics, the triggers of workplace stress are as diverse as they are persistent. For me, a lack of support in new professional roles combined with a sense of inadequacy and constant pressure from clients in crisis put me through a wringer of work misery.
Recognizing the Signs
The first step in combating workplace stress that becomes toxic is recognizing its subtle and not-so-so-subtle signs – the markers of distress that often go unnoticed or dismissed amidst the hustle and bustle of our daily routines and our efforts to stay afloat.
Frequent instances of the common cold, constant muscle aches and pains, fatigue, a knot in the stomach were some of the messages my body sent that things were out of balance. I set them aside, noting my propensity to these symptoms as a sensitive person and wanting to push past my learning curve to hopefully get to a better place. Other physical signs can include headache and exhaustion. Anxiety, mood swings, and all out emotional withdrawal are potential emotional signs of toxic stress. Cognitive signs include a thought bias towards taking things personal, negatively generalizing, and a barrage of harsh statements towards yourself in your internal monologue. Behavioral signs include withdrawal from social interactions, procrastinating, and an increasing reliance on negative habits. My favorites were usually layered: drive thru, binge Youtube, and putting off sleep.
In retrospect as a sign of toxic stress, expressions of concern from people around me should have caught my attention like buzzing neon, but I still missed it: Multiple people commented “You seem angry.” Friends seemingly inexplicably mentioned the difference their own antidepressant prescription was making for them. My thought at the time was “I’m fine. Obviously. It’s just that everything at my job sucks.” Now there was surely some truth to that. But here’s the thing, when it seems like lots of the people around you are terrible and you’re talking about it a lot, whether it’s them or you, you’re probably not “fine.”
Overlooking the Signs: Why We Miss Them
Why don’t we heed the signs of workplace stress staring us in the face? For some it might be normalization of toxic stress, fear of stigma, and the pursuit of success at any cost. In my case, I’m obliged to add: not knowing yet how to effectively cope, not being aware of available of alternatives and feeling stuck, and fixating on how much my workplace fundamentally needed to change- missing entirely the opportunities I did have for improving my situation.
The consequences of ignoring workplace stress can be inferred. They compound to any combination of poor performance, hindered relationships with our loved ones, and decline in physical and mental health.
Strategies for Recognizing and Addressing Workplace Stress
Fortunately, there are some simple yet powerful strategies to claim control over our well-being and cultivate a healthier work life.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness helps us become more aware of their thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations. We notice things that are happening in our bodies, our emotions and thoughts. I like to think of mindfulness practice as putting on metaphorical a lab coat and clipboard. Just noticing without expectation or judgement, gathering data. Stressful environments can fuel anxiety and heightened emotional and energetic states that distract from important swaths of data. Sometimes we go numb and we lose access to what we feel and care about, also important information.
Here you can go a couple of ways. You might shift your mind’s awareness to observable facts about your own senses and internal experience. For me, it would be something like, “I am sweating a little and my mouth is dry. I’m thinking a lot about that conversation with so-and-so. Something about this seems to be upsetting me.” You might be deliberate about noticing the sensation in your chest and belly in and out as you breathe. You might turn your awareness to observable facts outside of your body, paying more careful attention to the literal words or actions of others, putting aside interpretations of their intent. Step outside and feel the sun’s warmth, even for only a few moments. Try both and experiment with what works better at different times.
Practice Self-Awareness and Self-Reflection
One of the most powerful tools in combating workplace stress is self-awareness and reflection. Pay thoughtful, nonjudgemental notice of the signs mentioned above. There are important indicators that something isn’t right. Reflection helps us identify specific triggers, what we have control over and what we don’t. Time to reflect provides us space to identify our options and the barriers, allows us to plan for taking care of our needs in more effective ways.
Set Boundaries and Prioritize Self-Care
If you tend to struggle with telling anyone “No”, I see you. YOU can’t win. Either you stuck doing what you don’t want or your stuck feeling bad you’ve upset someone or they don’t like you. Learning effective boundary setting is nuanced and challenging but the payoff is immense. Boundaries are part and parcel to staving off burnout. And saying nuanced “No” does get easier. (@iam_susanaalba and @missclairebenjam are incredibly amazing at modeling this!)
Boundaries mean you can prioritize things that matter. Family, eating healthy food, having energy for karaoke singing and walks with your dogs. When we hang our identity on our job, we are raising the stakes and the stress that much more. Let’s all be so many things outside of our jobs!
Build and Nurture Your Support Network
We don't have to face workplace stress alone. By reaching out to trusted colleagues, friends, or family members for support, we can lighten the burden and gain valuable insights from those who have walked a similar path.
Prioritize relationships with family and friends who sustain you and build you up.
Contribute to a Positive Work Culture
Brene Brown offered the following on building your trustable reputation in organizations in her book “Dare to Lead” represented by the acronym B.R.A.V.I.N.G.
B for Boundaries. Understand and respect limits within the organization and your colleagues.
R for Reliability. Do what you say you’re going to do consistently.
A for Accountability. Own up to your mistakes and do what you can to make them right.
V for Vault. Don’t share personal information with others without permission. So mums the word on the rumor-bird. Quiet on the grapevine line. Let’s nix the gossip fix!
I for Integrity. Do what’s right instead over what’s easy. Do good, thorough work.
N for Nonjudgement. Don’t judge others or yourself for needing help.
G for Generosity. Assume positive intent of others and check in with them to get the full facts.
Consider a More Hopeful Relationship with Failure
The workplace is a trying environment where we are pushed to gain skills, interact with people we don’t much care for, and stand accountable for some output or another. Technologies and industries come and go over the course of a career. There are going to setbacks and disappointments, failures. Go easy on yourself and keep trucking. Failure is an occasional necessary byproduct of trying and caring and opportunity for learning, so good on you.
Stay Open to New Opportunities
Take responsibility for your own growth and career trajectory. Set your sights and intention to build your marketable skills, keep learning, look at what’s out there, consider ways you’d pivot if you need to, build professional networks. When you know you have options, stress and pressure are alleviated. I follow @lifeafterlayoff for more on this.
In conclusion, recognizing the signs of workplace stress is the first step on the path to reclaiming our well-being and fostering a healthier work life. You have everything you need to navigate the challenges; these strategies can help you harness your own innate ability and wisdom on the way to a healthier, happier work life.
