Towards the end of the year and even into the new year, a lot of people can end up feeling stressed and burned out. As we reach the end of the year, workloads tend to increase, and we can up feeling stressed and overwhelmed by it all.
On top of this, the end of the year brings the holiday season, which means we are having to spend more money and spread ourselves thin as we get more and more social obligations.
When this happens, we need to be able to know when we are struggling to cope, when is workplace stress too much and how can we overcome it?
What Is Workplace Stress?
Workplace stress that is caused, or made worse, by work. Stress can affect anyone at any time, it’s a natural response, but it can get worse over time and lead to more serious issues.
Workplace stress can be caused by a number of different factors. If there is some part of your job that you are struggling with or if the workplace organization and management is inefficient, then this can lead to problems that will cause workplace stress.
Workplace stress develops when a person is unable to cope with the demands that are expected from them at work. All stress is serious and can lead to damaging illnesses, but workplace stress is especially dangerous.
We rely on work for financial reasons and many of us cannot afford to miss work so we can afford the cost of living. For a lot of us, work is something we have to do 5 days a week meaning we get very little time for ourselves, and work can easily consume us.
Because of this, workplace stress can feel so much more overwhelming, especially when you cannot get away from it. When this happens, we have to ask ourselves, when is workplace stress too much?
When Is Workplace Stress Too Much?
When workplace stress becomes too much it can have a serious negative effect on both our work lives and our personal life. You need to be able to recognise the symptoms of workplace stress so that you can spot the signs early and make sure it doesn’t develop into something more.
Symptoms of workplace stress include:
- Feeling like you can’t cope with your workload
- Struggling to focus or concentrate on one thing
- Lacking the usual confidence or motivation you used to have for your job
- Feeling indecisive or unsure about certain things at work
- Feeling more sensitive – you might find that things affect you more emotionally and you get sad or angry quicker than you usually do
- Feeling overwhelmed or burnt out
Workplace stress can also have physical symptoms that you might find easier to spot. Physical symptoms of workplace stress can lead to serious health issues, especially when they are affecting your day to day life, so be sure to look out for:
- Becoming easily tired, feel you have no energy and can’t get a good night’s sleep
- A clear increase or decrease in weight
- Changes to your digestion include eating more or less than usual, stomach aches and changes to your bowel movements
- Headaches
- Aches and pains in your joints and muscles
- Chest pains, tightness in the chest and trouble breathing
- Decreased sexual function
When any of these symptoms start to seriously affect your life and start to negatively impact you, then that is when workplace stress is too much. If this starts to happen to you then you should seek help and try and sort the issue before it gets too much.
What Can You Do About Workplace Stress?
Living with the effects of workplace stress can be very serious. Thankfully there are lots of ways you can deal with workplace stress and start to improve your life.
Here at Wellspace, we are dedicated to making your work life as easy and as stress-free as possible. We focus on positive workplace wellbeing, making sure that you know exactly to cope with workplace stress and manage your wellbeing, so it doesn’t get as bad.
Contact Us
Why not contact us today to see how you can help your wellbeing with our workplace wellbeing app. Or email info@yourwellspace.com. We will be happy to help you!
Alternatively, for tips, advice or other employee-related information, visit our news page.
