Before we discuss what it means to manage stress, do we all agree on what stress is?

Stress: A Definition

Mind.Org offers an insight into what stress looks and feels like. It says:



Is stress a mental health problem?





Why does stress affect me physically?




You can go to your doctor if you are struggling with stress.
Stress is seen as medical condition, and can be treated with support if needed. Photo on Visualhunt

5 Common Examples Of Stress At Work

Let's consider a few examples of work-related stress which might sound familiar to you, your friends or someone in your family.

Scenario 1: Working long or too many hours

Ruth works an 8am-4pm shift while most of her colleagues work 10am-6pm. The director of Ruth's company asked if she was willing to start earlier to ensure that someone was in the office to man the phones across their 8am-6pm opening hours, which she agreed to as it allowed her to spend more time with her family in the evenings. Meanwhile, the director arranges a weekly team meeting (which Ruth must prepare for and participate in) on a Friday afternoon, starting at 4pm as this is when the phones are at their most quiet. Ruth is told that she must attend this meeting, yet is not offered any overtime expenses. Instead, the director buys some cans of drinks and some snacks to make the meeting feel more social. All of Ruth's colleagues are paid up to the end of their shifts at 6pm.

Scenario 2: Unrealistic demands

John works for a busy IT firm, answering phone calls and logging support queries for his technical colleagues to work on. John also answers queries by email, which must receive a response within 2 hours. In addition to this, John is given a multitude of other deadlines, such as taking mail to the Post Office before 1pm, producing weekly analytical spreadsheets for each customer, ordering supplies, completing the online food shopping order and much more. Despite all of the deadlines that he must meet, John has no additional help and must work take his lunch hour whilst he goes to send the mail. In the meantime, he returns to his desk to find dozens of emails needing a reply instantly.

Stress comes out in different ways for different people.
Sometimes, when you are stressed, you can feel like you have so much to do your head will explode! Photo on VisualHunt

Scenario 3: A lack of support

Sharon works as a graphic designer in a small firm. Because they are so small, most of the design work gets thrown her way. She enjoys the challenges but struggles to meet the deadlines and feels she is set up to fail. Sharon would like to speak to a Human Resources member to verbalise her concerns and make it clear that she feels her expertise is being abused, however, the small team of four does not have an HR department and she therefore feels she has no control or say in how the work is distributed or managed for fear of losing her job.

Scenario 4: Confusion over one's role

Simon has just been promoted to Manager of Ambient Produce at a supermarket, where he has worked for 7 years and completed management training under their watch. Three months in, a new member of staff is outsourced to manage the shop floor, and who seems to think that Simon works for him. Simon's manager has stated that this is not the case, however, the team member continues to give him orders and is clearly unaware of who he was brought in to manage ad what job he was intended to fulfil.

Scenario 5: Work interfering with home life

Yann works as a colour expert at a busy-town centre hair salon. Already working regularly at the weekend and not having much time to spend with his young children, Yann is called two or three times a day on his mid-week day off to ask if he can fit extra clients in by coming in on one of his days off or by working a longer shift. The frequent calls interfere with him doing the school run and other family-orientated activities but he does not feel he can switch his phone off or ignore it because it is his personal number which the nursery have on their files. Yann has asked his boss to only call him in the case emergency, but with different receptionists and stylists working daily, this message is not always passed on. What's more, his number is passed around for others to call and text him so he feels there is a lack of privacy and no confidentiality with his details.

Looking To The Positive

Does this sound familiar to you? If so, we hope that you managed to find a positive outcome. However, if you are in the midst of a stressful situation or you finding this stage in your life quite challenging on your mental health, then we hope these tips can help you.

Managing stress is, as it suggests, the action of taking control of your feelings and looking to find a solution or maintaining a positive outlook. In order to manage stress, you must first of all identify the root of the stress, pinpointing exactly what it is that is causing you to feel so negative. This could be one awkward situation at work, or it could be a series of family conversations that have made you feel under pressure - whatever the cause, there's always a solution!

Take these DIY suggestions below, which could encourage you to look on the brighter side and keep negative feelings at bay!

Look for an opportunity

If you're faced with a tricky situation or you feel under pressure, try to think about one positive aspect to your conundrum. How can you take what you are feeling and turn it into an opportunity?

Live in a positive environment

If you are exhausted by all of the pressures that social media, LinkedIn, emails and even television place on your daily life, then why not eliminate these? Take a leaf from some other European countries whose workers switch off all of their work gadgets from the moment they leave the office until the moment they step back in. Who wants to read an email from work when there is absolutely nothing they can (or should!) do about it until the morning, leaving to worry unnecessarily and possibly ruin their whole evening?

Why not try a solitary log cabin experience to truly switch off from the world?
Taking some quiet time to yourself can help you to recover from stressful periods in your life. Photo on Visualhunt

Slow down

We are probably all a bit guilty of living in the fast lane nowadays, what with so many things around us to occupy our minds. But, sometimes, our mind and body need us to just take a break and slow down. Do nothing for a little while. Why not book a retreat to the forest and spend a long weekend relaxing in a log cabin with no correspondence with the outside world?

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