Blog

Did you know that October 10^th marks World Mental Health Day, a day dedicated in raising awareness about mental health issues and advocating for better mental well-being. This year I want to focus on a critical yet often overlooked issue: stress in the workplace. It is essential that we recognise signs that indicate to feeling stressed and take these seriously before they negatively impact our health, mental wellbeing and relationships with work and others.

Experiencing stress is a natural part of life and can occur when significant changes occur. Some stress is deemed healthy but when it occurs in amounts we cannot cope with, issues with our mental and physical health may arise.

Jobs have become more demanding making the work-life balance harder to achieve, leading to work-related stress being the most common cause of stress. 76% of employees reported moderate-to-high or high levels of stress, increasing from 67% in 2022 (The Workplace Health Report, 2023), with the top cause being workload. Stress in the workplace isn’t just a personal issue; it can have a detrimental effect on workplace productivity and efficiency. 13.7 million working days are  lost each year in the UK because of work-related stress, anxiety and depression, costing £28.3 billion yearly (NICE).

Stress is an adaptive response to stressors in environment as our bodies are equipped with automatic responses to help deal with stress, leading to the ‘fight or flight’ response to help keep us safe. However, our bodies have the same reaction to all types of stressors, whether it be minor (a meeting) or major (life-threatening). Experiencing stress long-term (e.g. at a lower level but constant stressors in the workplace) activates this same system – the Generalised Stress Response. Stress can lead to physiological responses in the body, including:

• Increased blood pressure
• Increased heart rate and respiration
• Increased cholesterol and fatty acids in the blood
• Faster blood clotting
• Localised inflammation (redness, swelling, heat and pain)
• Increased stomach acids leading to acid reflux and potential ulcers

Yet, stress can also lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression via burnout. Burnout is a response to chronic stress relating to feelings of inadequacy, hopelessness, powerlessness and even resentment towards your job and other people.

It is important to address this issue and learn coping strategies as lower levels of stress at work can be a motivator and serve to increase productivity in employees by avoiding burnout. After locating the origins of your stress, you need to learn to recognise the feelings of it and develop strategies that can be used when you begin to feel overwhelmed. These can be:

• Relaxation techniques – the body responds to stress by increasing its reactions and tensing the muscles, so relaxation techniques counter these via deep breathing (e.g. the box breathing method), slowing the heart rate and relaxing the muscles (progressive relaxation technique). Even a simple hot bath can help to relax you
• Focusing your mind – things like meditation, social support and doing a hobby you enjoy can help to ease your mind and distract you
• Improving your daily habits – too much fatty food can increase your weight and deplete your energy. Artificial light and late-night TV and phone usage can keep the brain stimulated, keeping you awake at night. Being overly tired can increase anxiety and stress due to emotional dysregulation, increased cortisol levels (‘stress hormone’) and lowered resilience. Your cognitive skills can also be impaired as exhaustion can negatively impact your concentration, memory and decision-making, leading to frustration and anxiety. Finally, limiting your caffeine intake may help as it is a stress stimulant and also impacts your sleep habits

As we reflect on the importance of Mental Health Day, especially in relation to the workplace, it is clear that stress is a growing issue that needs to be discussed. By encouraging open communication and a healthy work-life balance, both employers and employees can help to take steps to reducing workplace stress. Mental health is just as important as physical health so creating a culture where we can openly discuss our concerns and seek valuable support remains a key factor in achieving a healthier lifestyle.