How many times have you heard about stress in the workplace and pushed the thought away? Do you consider stress to be a normal part of your daily life? Or, do you often become affected by the constant demands placed upon you?
Studies have shown that a huge 74% of adults in the UK have felt overwhelmed with what they had to do on a daily basis, or unable to cope, over the last one year. That’s a really startling statistic, and when you think about the major side effects that too much stress can bring, we’re looking at a nation of stressed out, and therefore unhealthy, people.
The thing is, stress isn’t all bad. In some cases, a little stress can actually be motivating. The problem is, how can you tell where the line between a moderate amount of motivating stress ends, and the problematic side of the line begins? It’s a personal deal, and it really comes down to the individual concerned.
For instance, one person could spend their working day sat at their luxury office desk and not once feel overwhelmed with their workload. They may have a lot to do, but they find the pressure of deadlines enough to push them to complete the tasks at hand. Another person may have have the same workload, but they may feel overwhelmed and unable to cope with it. We all have different barriers and red lines, and we need to work with them in order to find out own happy medium, finding modern office systems which work for us, and us alone.
A good way to highlight this is when thinking about hot desking. As an office system, this works for many people, but some employees find hot desking to be extremely anxiety-inducting. Not everyone likes moving around on a daily basis, and some people need to be in a static place, in order to be able to cope with their workload. Neither side is wrong or right, it’s a personal deal that we need to respect and work with accordingly. Some people love the idea of breakout stools in an area where collaboration can freely be done and as somewhere to go for a time out, whilst others don’t see the point. It’s personal choice, and personal ways to deal with pressure.
The Natural Side of Stress
Stress has been around since the times of the cavemen and cavewomen. Stress is a reaction to what the brain perceives to be a threat, pushing you into a ‘fight or flight’ response. This is designed to save your life and alert you to danger. Of course, we’re not likely to be eaten by a sabre toothed tiger or equivalent prehistoric animal, so it’s unlikely that we’re fighting for survival in an office environment!
Stress can give you a small push of energy which can help you to make fast decisions on what to do next. This can motivate you to get your to do list done, it can help you to finish daily deadlines, and can help you to prioritise your workload more effectively. Knowing the right tools to help you get your work done is also vital, such as office partition screens.
A little bit of stress, and we mean a ‘little bit’ can help you be strong mentally and physically, but having too much of the stress hormone (Cortisol) rushing around your body is not a good thing. For this reason, it’s vital that you know your red lines and your cut off points between where good stress ends and the bad stuff begins. Finding ways to cope with stress is also vital. This can be anything from going to the gym and exercising, heading outside for a walk with friends, or it can be trying massages for overall health benefits. Whatever works for you is the way to go, but finding your red line is even more vital than anything else. By doing that, you can ensure that when you’re around the conference table, swapping ideas and collaborating, you’re sharp and on point, not overwhelmed and frazzled.