Stress at work is more common than you may think. Almost everyone who has ever worked has felt some sort of work-related stress. Even if you love your job, there may be stressful elements that get to you once in a while. However, chronic work stress symptoms can harm your physical and emotional health, and it can take a toll on how you do your job.
Work Stress Symptoms
The symptoms of stress can negatively impact your physical health. Since symptoms can vary widely, you may not know that stress is the cause. It’s important to identify these symptoms before they lead to even more serious issues:
- Fatigue
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
- Insomnia and other sleep problems
- Stomach issues
- Colds
- Heart palpitations
If left unchecked, your work stress symptoms can weaken your immune system or lead to something more serious that requires treatment, including obesity, depression, Alcohol Use Disorder or Opioid Use Disorder.
Causes of Stress at Work
Sometimes it’s easy to identify what areas of work are causing you stress. Other times, you may not be sure where your work stress symptoms are coming from. Try keeping a journal and chronicling every time a certain task or situation makes you feel stressed. You can also watch out for common causes of stress at work, including:
- Low salaries
- Too much work
- Little opportunity for growth
- Work that isn’t challenging
- Lack of social support
- Low control over work decisions
- Unclear performance expectations
Tips for Reducing Stress at Work
Learning how to handle pressure at work can help you reduce your stress and avoid the more serious symptoms of work stress. Some tips for how to reduce stress at work are:
- Stay away from conflict: It isn’t just conflict at home that can make you feel stressed. Interpersonal conflict in the office among co-workers is also stress-inducing. Try to stay away from office politics, and don’t gossip about the people you work with.
- Exercise and meditation: Exercise helps boost your mood and naturally relieves stress. You should try to complete 30 minutes of meditation every day or even try to walk during your lunch break to get a quick boost during the workday.
- Eat and sleep well: A high-sugar diet may make you feel like you have tons of energy, but you’ll eventually crash. Aim to get seven or eight hours of sleep each night and eat a low-sugar, high-protein diet.
- Find a support system: Stress can build if you don’t let out the tension you’re holding on the inside. Talk to someone — whether it’s a friend, a family member or a counselor — before feelings of hopelessness overtake you.
How 7 Summit Pathways Can Help
If your work stress symptoms have already turned into something more serious, such as an addiction, 7 Summit Pathways can help. We’ve helped thousands before you, and we’re dedicated to giving you an individualized treatment experience that works. Contact us today or schedule an appointment to start your journey out of hopelessness.