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Recognising The Signs of Work Stress

Stress Headaches and Indecision Can Be Warning Sypmtoms

Jan 11, 2009 Elaine Walker

Recognising signs of work stress is not always straightforward. Some stress is normal, but knowing what is not normal can be the first step to getting help.

Chronic stress can contribute to illness and in these tough times of the credit crunch many people will be affected by work stress. This could be through changing their jobs although those who retain their jobs may also feel anxiety and become stressed because of the insecurity and changeable nature of the economic climate. They may feel their jobs are constantly at risk.

The: Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory mentions death of a partner as the top cause of stress, with getting fired from a job rating 8th. Change in Finances, Business Readjustment and Change in Work all feature in the top 20 most stressful things in life. Apart from the obvious symptoms of work stress, how can warning signs be recognised?

Signs of Stress

Most people have experienced tension in their shoulders or neck, or stress headaches when they are under pressure. This is usually a passing event and recognised as part of a stressful time.

Some symptoms are not interpreted as stress, for example, forgetfulness. However, when there are several activities competing for attention and some sort of overload is reached, deadlines will be forgotten, mistakes will be made and it becomes more difficult to concentrate. This can lead to anxiety and more stress. When this is happening at work, the additional anxiety can escalate the stress resulting in even more forgetfulness.

10 Symptoms of Work Stress

Poor time management. Running late with work and finding it difficult to complete tasks because of indecision.
Feeling under increasing pressure to make money and be successful, even if it means neglecting friends and social life.
Getting stuck with worrying about work problems, rather than looking at ways to solve them.
Blaming work colleagues when things go wrong because it is too overwhelming to take responsibility.
Feeling out of control and perhaps turning to alcohol or drugs more often to soothe those feelings.
Poor sleep patterns. Difficulty getting to sleep or waking early and worrying about problems. Sometimes people handle this by asking the doctor for sleeping tablets. This might help the symptom but will not reduce the stress that causes the problem.
Eating more or less than usual. Comfort eating is a recognised sign of stress, but loss of appetite can also be an indicator.
New nervous habits such as nail biting or finger tapping can be symptoms of work stress.
Depression and anxiety often accompany stress, particularly when people feel isolated at work or unable to cope.
Increased incidence of colds or infections could be the effect of stress on the immune system.

If stress headaches or any other symptoms are problematic, consult a doctor and discuss ways of reducing stress before it reaches a chronic level. Some of these symptoms can also be signs of other illness and should always be checked.

Chronic stress can be avoided and it is possible to get the life you want by making positive changes.

The copyright of the article Recognising The Signs of Work Stress in General Medicine is owned by Elaine Walker. Permission to republish Recognising The Signs of Work Stress in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Signs of Stress

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Jan 11, 2009 2:39 PM

Guest :

This is so timely - many of us are stressed due to the current economic climate. I appreciate Elaine's writing style and direct, no-fuss presentation of her subjects

Dec 20, 2009 10:07 AM

Guest :

-Excellent article(LOVE IT!).....Why- you may ask? .....Because it goes into much more detail than the majority of others written on the same subject. I mean, most other articles, when they start listing the 'signs of stress', use very generic symptoms; most of which you already know; therefore, you gain no knowledge from reading them and go away with a feeling of disappointment. -This particular article, however, leaves no stoned unturned(at least none in as much as we expect from a short article, as is it's purpose/function/definition); it tells us about the things that we most likely do NOT already know are symptoms of stress, such as, but not limited to...forgetfulness, indecisiveness, isolation, mistake-making, blaming others instead of taking responsibility for one's self and turning to drugs and/or alcohol for relief & to cope. -When you are finished reading this article, you leave with knowledge.....a feeling that you've learned something new.....something different.

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