Prof K S Chandrasekar
Stress is a feeling of being under abnormal pressure from the normal self, whether from increased workload, an argument with a family member or monetary worries. Stress may be defined from ‘demand-perception response’ perspective. Lazarus and Folk man integrated this view into a cognitive theory of stress that has become the most widely applied theory in the study of occupational stress and stress management. Davis defines stress as “condition of strain on one’s emotions, thought processes and physical conditions”. Di Martino summarized the concept of stress as “the physical and emotional response that occurs when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources needs of the employee”. The fundamental concept is that stress means it is all about how an individual perceives about the demands and their ability to meet those demands. Any mismatch will mean that an individual’s stress threshold is exceeded, triggering a stress response. Research has shown that stress can sometimes be positive. It makes us more alert and helps us perform better in certain situations. However, stress has only been found to be beneficial if it is a shorter term one. This stress threshold level may be called as stress hardiness and of course will depend on the person’s features, his experiences, ability to cope and also under the circumstances where the demands are being made. Thus one event alone may not constitute stress for all employees as stressor varies from person to person. Thus an event which may cause stress to an individual may not cause stress to another.
Many times we can see that negative connotations are usually endorsed to the term stress, even though some of the stress responses are of positive nature. Thus the term Eustress refers to positive stress and the term distress refers to negative stress. ‘Stress’, therefore, should be viewed as a continuum along which an individual may pass, from feelings of eustress to those of mild/moderate distress, to those of severe distress. The table below depicts the indicators and symptoms of stress which varies from individual to individual based on the severity and may culminate in emotional burn out and serious physiological disturbance if the individual is exposed to prolonged stress. The National institute of Safety & Health says that Work related stress can cause both physical and Physiological and behavioral / emotional health problems. Physical symptoms include head, back and neck aches, tiredness, muscular tension, insomnia, skin rashes, excessive sweating, vision problems including blurred vision, migraine, dizziness, digestive issues and others. The physiological symptoms include that of cardio vascular diseases, respiratory diseases, reproductive disorders which are common among the people doing continuous sitting work, hearing problems, dermatological problems and psycho somatic issues. Those in psychological symptoms include anxiety, depression, emptiness, irritability, burn out issues, disturbed mood swings, and disturbed eating patterns, lack of focus, lower libido, less motivation, worrying about future and lower esteem.
Behavioral problems that has been identified are absenteeism, increased smoking and consumption of alcohol, use of psycho active substances and drugs, aggressive behavior towards colleagues and to family members, propensity to accidents.T hus in general stress can be defined as the reaction individuals have to excessive pressures or demands. It emanates from several experiences or challenging situations. As pointed out earlier, stress varies from person to person and it arises when a person perceives that he or she cannot cope up with the excessive demands and pressures. Stress is not always created by other people; we can also be a contributing factor for stress in our own life. Eustress denotes stress which is beneficial as it generates higher productivity, creativity, innovativeness and an urge to learn and distress which is harmful leads to below par performance, unproductivity, demotivation, frustration and exhaustion of energy. Low task demands leads to boredom and apathy where as excessive demands of work leads to tension and anxiety. In both the cases performance level dips below par. But when optimal work load (stress) is maintained the performance of the individual is at its best as he experiences high level of energy and motivation. The term “Work life Stress” or “Occupational Stress” is a modern construct which is a resultant of many factors (called as stressors) at work environment or the organization and now this has become an ever increasing problem for the organization and the individuals.It is important to note what one can achieve against a goal set or target set and plan accordingly. Hence over focusing on the same will result in not achieving and will lead to stress.
There are many ways to overcome the occupational stress. One of them is meditation and being calm in a regular timing of a day. One of my colleague practices meditation between morning 900 to 915 and evening 900 to 915. This is known to all the members and colleagues and they do not in turn call or disturb him. Another one is in terms of physical exercises. Regular walking at designated timings for 5 days a week will ensure to break the stress. That should be done alone and do not take friends from office for this purpose. This will again lead to occupational stress only. Regular monitoring of health either at home or at office can be another option. Many of the corporates provide for regular checkup every month. Once it is part of the promotion file, everyone will use the same and it is good for the corporates also. During official meetings, it is better to have dry fruits and natural fruits and fruit drinks without sugar can be a great stimulator for idea generations rather than coffee and tea with burgers and pizzas. Excessive consumption of junk foods in office can cause more physical problems. Financial planning for every employee is important and frequent money management lessons or classes can ensure that they are saving a portion of their salaries for their future benefits. Planning for week end activities, annual leave activities in advance can guide the persons that there is vacation around the corner and planning to that will create more interest among and release the stress. Due to excessive stress among first semester students in IIT, to overcome the same, a Dean for student well being was appointed in IIT Kharagpur. Similarly corporates can appoint a nodal officer for employee wellbeing so that stress could be managed better.
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” – Mahatma Gandhi
(The author is Vice Chancellor, Cluster University of Jammu)
