Suffering from Work Related Stress? Hard to drag yourself out of bed to go to work? Fantasies of throwing in the towel? Getting angry at work? Feeling you can't do your job as well as you could? |
You may be suffering from Work Related Stress.  Work Related Stress Counselling What is it? A 2008 poll of 2,000 employees revealed that 46 per cent of respondents rated their jobs "Highly Stressful". An estimated 40 million working days are lost each year due to Stess-Related illnesses, costing industries £1.5bn a year. Stress is the reaction people have to excessive demands or Pressures. You may find it difficult to cope with tasks, responsibilities or other types of job related pressures or you might get Anxious trying to meet such demands. It isn't just bad for your work, it could also be affecting your health. Dear online counselor, I feel stupid, but I'm not. I am a successful City worker in the financial sector with a good position with a major global company. As an organisation, we are all acutely aware of the financial shortfalls we are experiencing. I am being bullied by my female manager. It is making going to work very difficult indeed. She also bullies other chaps too, what can I do? Lawrence ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hello Lawrence Bullying in the work place is a fast growing problem. In times of financial difficulties, stress levels tend to soar to unhealthy levels, this can result in bullying and make life extremely difficult. I presume your organisation being a global company will have a code of ethics and possibly a specific Bullying policy in place. If not, in the longer term, maybe you and some of the other people bullied by this manager could sit down together and write one. There is strength in numbers. In the short term, is there a more senoir manager you could speak with, again going along and speaking as a group will offer you protection from being ignored and any further victimisation. If you would like to talk this through further, please don't hesitate to contact me. It may help to look at the information on my website relating to Stress . Good Luck Lawrence, and please let me know how you get on, I am here to help you.. Paul Parkin - Online counsellor and online Life Coach. |
What causes it? Stress may be caused or amplified by a number of factors including: • Poor Relationships with other work colleagues or Bullying
• Long and/or irregular hours
• Too little work or too much work
• Repetitive work/boredom and lack of Job Satisfaction
• Working alone
• Job Insecurity
• Job or organisational change
• Low pay
• Jobs with heavy emotional demands
• Poor working environments such as excessive noise, the presence of dangerous materials, over-crowding, poor facilities, or extremities of temperature or humidity
• Increased accessibility - the use of mobile phones, pagers and emails means the boss can always chase up work. The situation can be made worse if there is Bullying, Conflict, Harassment, and Indifference to Staff Needs. Where the organisation lacks leadership, work arrangements, deadlines and Demands are set without consultation and seem to be inflexible, this leads to a high degree of uncertainty about direction, purpose, objective and job responsibilities amongst staff. What are the symptoms? • Difficulty getting to Sleep or difficulty Waking up in the morning
• Constant Fatigue
• Forgetfulness
• Aches and Pains for no apparent reason
• Poor Appetite
• Social Withdrawal
• Loss of interest in activities
• Increased Anxiety and Irritability
• "Flying off the handle"
• Increased Heart Rate
• Migraines/Headaches
• Blurred Vision
• Dizziness Everyone has bad days but if you've noticed three or more of the above symptoms and you've experienced them for some weeks you may need to do something about your Stress Levels. Visit your local GP to rule out other possible reasons for the symptoms such as Depression. If you think you may be suffering from Work-Related Stress or work place stress, it is worth visiting your GP for a check up. Stressed out people have higher Blood Pressure, and where Stress Levels hit boiling point Sufferers are at a higher risk of Death from any cause than their more chilled out Colleagues. They are also prone to Heart Disease, Colitis (inflammation of the bowels), Thyroid Disorders, and Ulcers. How do I deal with it? If you are suffering from Work-Related Stress or work place stress try some of the following ways to calm down and chill out: • Try to make time for yourself away from work to wind down. For example relaxing in a warm bubble bath, listening to soothing music and shutting out the world for a while, try to find a sympathetic ear.
• Take time for your mind and body to relax. Methods can include reading, exercise, meditation and yoga, as well as sharing your conserns.  Counselling reduces Stress
• Take time to exercise. Regular and frequent exercise is a good Stress Reducer.
• Find time to pursue non-work activities such as Hobbies and recreational activities.
• Eat well, skipping meals will deplete your energy and leave you drained.
• Talk to your family and friends. Make time to see your mates, it will help you unwind after work and let you unburden any problems, talking is a great healer.
• Learn to say no. If you are asked to take extra work on board, or to stay in the office after your colleagues have left, have the confidence to decline.
• Take breaks at work. Don't stay glued to the job - take a few minutes to sit back and Relax, or take a brisk walk during your break.
• Plan your work. Sit down and establish what needs to be done. If you have an excessive Workload, delegate if possible, and decide on when your work needs to be completed.
• If all else fails, have a serious Talk with your line manager about your workload, or think about changing your job.
If you would like help to manage your Stress Levels, consider talking to an Experienced, Qualified Stress Counsellor or Life Coach in complete confidence, you can even remain anonymous.
Confidential Counselling Online will allow you to share your worries and get some insight on how to make the changes needed to Reduce your Stress Levels and improve your Quality of Life.
All this support without leaving your Home or Office, Email, Life Coaching and Online Counselling, via our Secure Chat facility which is password protected, you can even use MSN Messenger or SkypeChat.
Counsellors Onine now offers the cheapest counseling available anywhere, only 19.99GBP for a full 50 Minute session. To book a session click here Click Here to book your *Special rate introductory session now. Or click here to go back to our home page.
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