“Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness.” – Richard Carlson
Many people appear to be stressed, or claim to be stressed, but I’d suggest most people accept it as part of modern life. Particularly in this age of being constantly reachable, via phone or email, I believe that work-related stress has become one of the largest threats to the health of the population at large.
Being under pressure is a normal part of life. It can be a useful drive that helps you act, feel more energised and get results. I believe that being respected and appreciated by significant others is one of the most fundamental human needs. Consequently, people go to great lengths to gain acceptance and approval. These actions, and the pursuit of further acceptance, can often lead to stress. Such experiences may have far reaching consequences in terms of health and well-being.
But if you often become overwhelmed by stress, these feelings could start to be a problem for you. It’s important to remember that stress isn’t a psychiatric diagnosis, but it can lead to one. It’s closely linked to your mental health in two important ways:
• Stress can cause mental health problems, and make existing problems worse. For example, if you often struggle to manage feelings of stress, you might develop a mental health problem such as anxiety or depression.
• Mental health problems can cause stress. You might find coping with the day-to-day symptoms of your mental health problem, as well as potentially needing to manage medication, heath care appointments or treatments, can become extra sources of stress.
This can start to feel like a vicious circle, and it might be hard to see where stress ends and a mental health problem begins.
Stress is a difficult issue to tackle, especially in the busy, competitive world that we live in. But that doesn’t mean we should avoid it completely. Being more honest with yourself about the stress in your life can help you start to feel calmer and more in control at work and in your life.
Whether you’d like to admit it or not, your health should be of greater priority to you than your job. Should there be a choice between being happy, and working in such a way that makes you more stressed than ever, because of the pressures you put on yourself to achieve what may be impossible?
The truth is: your stress levels could be killing you. The more I read about the matter, the more I am convinced that there are a lot of people out there doing themselves some harm. I’ve written before about the link between body and mind. Long gone are the days when the medical world viewed them as two separate things; the current consensus is that what goes on the body is strongly related to the mind. As an example, recall the last time you had a headache or couldn’t sleep. Was it something to do with stress or worry about work? These are prime examples of the body following the mind’s lead.
This process is called psychoneuroimmunology and it is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body. There have been countless studies showing that stress can:
• Lead to an increased chance of weight problems;
• Cause poor sleep which can lead to other health issues;
• Impairment of memory and concentration;
• Have an impact on your heart’s health; and
• Impact your immune response.
These (and the onset of other mental health problems) are serious and, over time, can do lasting damage to your body. It is extremely important for our health that we understand how stress affects us and learn a few things to get it under control.
And yet, despite the topic being covered in hundreds of papers published every year, work-related stress is still an evasive concept to many.
Only 19% of British people believe stress is an acceptable reason to have a day off work, according to research from mutual health and wellbeing provider Benenden. (Additionally, the researchers found that an even lower 17% of people considered broader mental health issues as a reason not to go into the office).
A YouGov poll commissioned by Mind found that of those workers who had needed to take time off sick due to stress, just 5% admitted to their employer that it was stress-related. It’s no surprise that staff worry about opening up about their mental health given that this research shows most people don’t view mental health problems and stress as being as serious as a physical health problem.
The most obvious thing to say here is that this standpoint must change. Stress can develop into a more serious problem over time that can have a negative on not only your life, but those around you. Admitting that you need some time to gather yourself because of stress isn’t weak. It’s an admission that can bring you back to the strongest version of yourself.
As health is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity but a positive state of complete physical, mental and social well-being (WHO, 1986), a healthy working environment is one in which there is not only an absence of harmful conditions but an abundance of health-promoting ones.
It’s easy to get into the mindset amidst the career ladder that you must try to be perfect and to be all things to all people. It’s easy to become too thinly spread, attempting to please everybody. Remember that it’s okay to say no sometimes, to make time for yourself, to switch off and not feel guilty about it.
If you find yourself becoming stressed, try to think about how far you’ve come, not how much you have to do in the here and now. How well are you doing today, compared with how you did yesterday, last month, or last year? When you think about what you are doing in terms of learning and improving, accepting that you may make some mistakes along the way, you experience far less stress. Psychologically, it’s often not whether we’ve reached our goal, but the rate at which we are closing the gap between where we are now and where we want to end up.
A dose of self-compassion when things are at their most difficult can reduce your stress and improve your performance, by making it easier to learn from your mistakes. So, remember that to err is human, and give yourself a break.
There are ways to both overcome stress and manage it. Acknowledge and accept your feelings and thoughts. Being under stress can make it seem like there aren’t enough hours in the day, or even make you lose track of the days. Identify the causes of your stress and make time for yourself, to relax and follow those things that you enjoy.
Take care of yourself, talk to others, take a break. Don’t be your own worst enemy. It really doesn’t suit you.
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