Sooner rather than later, everyone who works with people gets round to talking about stress. So I might as well get it over with.
Stress is too many demands and too little capacity to meet them. A stressed person does not think rationally, work normally, or even get on with people when work or personal problems overwhelm him or her.
Different people handle their work differently. One man's meat is another man's poison. Sauce for the goose, is rarely sauce for the gander. One person may be stressed by the sight of blood, another enjoy the challenge. One size does not fit all.
Each of us has a Capacity for Work. There is a limit to number of emotional, intellectual and physical activities that we can do before we tire. Over months, it is may be possible to increase your Capacity for Work. But meanwhile, your Capacity for Work remains constant, and you can only do so much.
Not everyone can shut out their work at 5pm, especially if they have an interesting, challenging and worthwhile job. At best the Work Life Balance reduces the work an employer expects of their employee to a level that is possible. An emotional experience uses energy, just as much as physical and intellectual activities. An emotionally exhausted person can work less, than someone who feels refreshed within a loving and sympathetic relationship.
Continued pressure, tiredness, and unchecked demand leads to Stress. If unrelieved, Stess leads to exhaustion, burnout and depression. Stress is the first step on the downward path to mental breakdown.
It helps to remain Calm, and be realistic about your Work Capacity, and to agree only to what you can reasonably do. Start doing what is important and then ask for help. You cannot do what you do not have the time, energy, or skills to do. By choosing to remain Calm, you at least preserve your own sanity. After all, can you be sure that any of this will matter in fifty years time?
Copyright (c) Dr. Liz Miller http://www.drlizmiller.co.uk
Sooner rather than later, everyone who works with people gets round to talking about stress. So I might as well get it over with.
Stress is too many demands and too little capacity to meet them. A stressed person does not think rationally, work normally, or even get on with people when work or personal problems overwhelm him or her.
Different people handle their work differently. One man's meat is another man's poison. Sauce for the goose, is rarely sauce for the gander. One person may be stressed by the sight of blood, another enjoy the challenge. One size does not fit all.
Each of us has a Capacity for Work. There is a limit to number of emotional, intellectual and physical activities that we can do before we tire. Over months, it is may be possible to increase your Capacity for Work. But meanwhile, your Capacity for Work remains constant, and you can only do so much.
Not everyone can shut out their work at 5pm, especially if they have an interesting, challenging and worthwhile job. At best the Work Life Balance reduces the work an employer expects of their employee to a level that is possible. An emotional experience uses energy, just as much as physical and intellectual activities. An emotionally exhausted person can work less, than someone who feels refreshed within a loving and sympathetic relationship.
Continued pressure, tiredness, and unchecked demand leads to Stress. If unrelieved, Stess leads to exhaustion, burnout and depression. Stress is the first step on the downward path to mental breakdown.
It helps to remain Calm, and be realistic about your Work Capacity, and to agree only to what you can reasonably do. Start doing what is important and then ask for help. You cannot do what you do not have the time, energy, or skills to do. By choosing to remain Calm, you at least preserve your own sanity. After all, can you be sure that any of this will matter in fifty years time?
Copyright (c) Dr. Liz Miller http://www.drlizmiller.co.uk