Do you stress a lot? You should know this!

In terms of work-related health, stress is constantly worrying because of our tasks. In this state, despite our best efforts, we find it difficult to get on with our tasks or we achieve undesirable results only. All this entails psychological and social (psycho-social) risks. If this condition persists for a long time and to a severe degree, it can unfortunately lead to diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, heart attacks), diseases of the digestive system, inflammations, tumors and addictions. Because these conditions can worsen over years or decades, they may be difficult or impossible to see in everyday life and we may not even know that we need to address them. 

Continuous stress increases adrenaline and cortisol hormone levels, which “boost” the body’s ability to fight the stressor (the cause of stress). If you have an unwarranted headache, trouble sleeping, and can’t relax because you’re thinking about the stressor, remember that this is the stage at which you need to address stress management.

However, stress hormones can also have a positive effect on our bodies: they stimulate us to perform and help us to focus on completing the task at hand as expected and on time. And when we succeed, they increase the need for the next challenge. Such positive experiences teach our bodies to tolerate stress, which is also a powerful weapon in the fight against disease. 

However, we can also experience a range of other reactions to excessive stress. One of these is “freezing”, when we become blocked. In this case, the solution lies in awareness, in recognising the situation and selecting between problems and solutions. We also need to pay attention to this to minimize accidents, as the struggle with negative stress is an increasingly common cause of accidents. This is when rushing, inattention and working out of anger are common. However, in this state, one-off and sudden bad decisions by our colleagues can be fatal. However, we must be aware that the stressful situation itself is NOT an excuse for not complying with the rules. That is why everyone must learn to manage stress in an optimal way for themselves – especially at the point before it “explodes” and they are sure to make a bad decision. 

Working in a community, it is very important to notice when the other person is “too full”, i.e. not able to make sound decisions, and then talk them out of taking the wrong step. Ask what we can do to help them. It is also helpful if we do it “just” with words. 

We need to know that stress management is first and foremost a matter of TIME. If you get to the point where you don’t even have 30 minutes or even 1 hour a day for YOURSELF, then what’s the point of fighting every day! If your physical and mental balance are important to you, then you will find activities that will recharge you and help you cope with challenges.