Is Stress a Myth?

Last Friday, I gave a joint talk at the BusinessXChange Co-Operation Event with Rebecca Fordham (Real People Solutions HR) on coping with pressure at work. It ended with a relaxation technique, which went really well until someone’s mobile phone went off at a critical moment. Thank you to whoever that was for demonstrating the pressure modern technology brings!

Afterwards, I was approached by someone who questioned whether stress really exists? By talking about it and giving it a name, do we exacerbate it? I was then thanked for our talk by a lady, who said she had suffered from stress at work, and had been very ill for a while. She felt it was important for people to talk about it.

This creates a dilemma for me. Should we talk about stress – does it really exist?

The Health and Safety Executive believes it does and defines stress as when the demands from the work environment exceed the employee’s ability to cope with (or control) them.

We all need some demands or pressure.  It’s what gives us a buzz and gets us out of bed in the morning (Eustress). When that pressure gets beyond where our body can cope with it and starts to show adverse effects, then it becomes distress.

In the table top discussion after the talk, people identified that different things influence their stress levels. It can be deadlines, things not working properly, not being appreciated, or not being in control. Others felt they did not suffer from stress at all, and in fact, enjoyed the level they had. It shows we are all different. It is not a competition as to who has more pressure or crises than someone else; but we should respect what our body is telling us. We could look out for each other more and identify the early warning signs.

Actions identified to reduce their stress were:

• Communicate to people what I have done and ask for the praise I need
• Take time out and enjoy the food I am eating
• Just get the job done and not procrastinate
• Listen to self and let people know when I am stressed
• Drink less alcohol
• Do more exercise
• Sit on my hands and not volunteer for so much
• Remember this time will pass too

How do you feel about stress – is it real or a myth? Does it create a bigger problem by talking about it?