Recognizing stress

Stress is the result of a struggle or battle that you don't have the resources to cope with. Some stress at work is inevitable - it's an inherent part of getting things done, of moving projects on, etc. And of course some jobs are much more stressful than others, especially if you have to manage others (getting a nationwide team of salespeople to meet targets, for example) or deal with difficult situations (nurses and doctors must cope with all sorts of stresses when human life is at stake).

But this sort of stress is usually short-lived and well rewarded emotionally, if not financially - in most cases the more stressful the job the greater the pay. Most importantly it is stress that the person can anticipate and choose to take on when they take up the job, so they can go prepared with tactics to minimize the effects.

More damaging is the stress that relates to the way you're expected to do the job, or to demands being made on you that exceed your expectations of the job. This sort of stress is most likely to lead to illness - the Hazards Campaign would like to see stress-related illness recognized as an industrial injury.

Causes of stress at work
* Nature of tasks: long hours, heavy workload, infrequent breaks, boring tasks that don't utilize workers' skills, poorly defined goals, too much responsibility.
* Management style: workers aren't involved in decision- making, poor communication, lack of family-friendly policies.
* Interpersonal relationships: lack of support or help from co-workers and supervisors, conflicting expectations.
* Career worries: job insecurity, lack of opportunity for growth or advancement.
* Environmental conditions: unpleasant or dangerous physical conditions, for example, overcrowding, noise, air pollution - or ergonomic problems.

Recognition is the first step
Recognising that you are experiencing stress - and why - is the first step to dealing effectively with it (more at www.hsa.ie/). You need to know what's causing it and why before you can start to work out good strategies for reducing stress. So what should you look out for?

Physical symptoms may alert you to the fact that you're under stress. The box below shows some of the common symptoms, but we each express stress in different ways and sometimes symptoms are difficult to spot or are blamed on another cause.

* Symptoms of stress
* Anxiety, irritation, feeling flustered, anger
* Feeling of things hanging over you
* Poor concentration, uncertainty, difficulty making decisions
* Headache, palpitations, feeling 'hot and bothered'
* Dry mouth, lump in the throat, shaky hands
* Problems sleeping
* Increased intake of caffeine, cigarettes or alcohol above usual
* Repetitive habit or tic such as scratching, hair pulling
* Tearfulness, depression, feeling suicidal
* Chest pain
* Problems eating or swallowing
* Diarrhea or constipation
* Loss of libido
* Worsening of skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis - or of asthma

Symptoms may be directly related to stressful events, such as an argument with your boss. After acutely stressful events like this men and women may react differently – women may be more tearful while men are more likely to become angry, or increase their alcohol intake. But stress is very individual, and can show up in unpredictable ways, from sudden bursts of aggression to unexplained illness.