Stress: A Result of Deviating from the True Purpose of Life - Coursework Example

Stress: A Result Of Deviating From The True Purpose Of Life Introduction In today’s modern world, life has become so fast that people are unable to find time even for themselves. The professional demands have overpowered their personal lives and hence, their happiness too. This has led to development of many problems relating to mind, body and relationships. Stress is one of the major problems caused by the hectic and tense life pattern of modern world. Problems related to mind take time to be detected as there is no physical ‘pain’ related to it. If a person feels little depressed or low, he thinks that maybe exhaustion and work pressure is the cause and maybe some more sleep or a vacation will solve it (Harris & Hartman, 2002, p. 397). He ignores the signs of stress by thinking that it will reduce in some days. Hence, understanding the stress, its symptoms and knowing the solution is very important because the more the stress is ignored, the more it becomes severe. The only way to prevent stress is to realize that personal happiness and satisfaction is more important than any other thing in life. Definition of stress Job stress can be defined as “a situation wherein job related (or external) factors interact with a worker to change the employee’s psychological or physiological condition so that the worker is forced to deviate from normal functioning” (Harris & Hartman, 2002, p. 399). Stress at work is becoming a common problem with the employees these days. Highly competitive environment at every level of professional life is making people vulnerable to stress. Causes of stress: Stress at work occurs when an employee perceives the circumstances, characteristics and people at work as a threat to his security of the job (Harris & Hartman, 2002, p. 399). The stress usually begins to affect the psychological and physiological aspects of an employee when the demands of the job are beyond his capability (Harris & Hartman, 2002, p. 399). People are getting affected by stress so much that it is estimated that the stress and the related problems are costing businesses more than $150 billion annually (Harris & Hartman, 2002, p. 399). Moreover, studies have revealed that not only negative but even the positive events in life can cause stress (Harris & Hartman, 2002, p. 403). It is understood that any unexpected event, whether positive or negative, can cause stress to a person (Harris & Hartman, 2002, p. 403). Matters related to personal life causes more stress and it is believed that when people come to work, they are already suffering from stress and strain (Harris & Hartman, 2002, p. 403). According to Albrecht, the capacity to handle pressures related to work and personal life depends on the comfort zone of a person and hence, it varies from person to person (Harris & Hartman, 2002, p. 404). Overload in the job, i.e. when employees are expected to do more complex work or more amount of work compared to their capability, causes stress (Harris & Hartman, 2002, p. 404). At the same time, even underload of the job, i.e. when employees are assigned with less challenging task or less amount of work compared to their ability, causes stress (Harris & Hartman, 2002, p. 404). Hence, underload or overload in the stress inducing job factors like workload, job position, importance of the job, autonomy, variety in the job, amount of communication, physical challenge and mental challenge of the job, can cause great amount of stress to the employees (Harris & Hartman, 2002, p. 404) . Undesirable events at work can also cause stress. People have deep sense of right and wrong. They firmly believe that right action should be rewarded and wrong action should be punished. Hence, if people experience injustice, unequal treatment and favouritism at work, it causes a lot of stress to them. Research conducted by Vermunt and Steensma (2005) found that employees suffer from more stress with the increase in the amount of imbalance between the input and the output of the work (Miner, 2007, p.106). This results in deterioration of their health and emotional exhaustion due to the feeling of injustice being done to them (Miner, 2007, p.106). Greeburg(2004) found that the stress reaction increases among the employees if they find that no action is being taken against the people who indulge in wrong acts (Miner, 2007, p.106). Also, aggressive management culture can cause stress to lot of employees as it creates an environment which, indirectly, supports bullying and psychological violence at work (Stranks, 2005, p.32). This shows that anything that creates a dispute and conflict in the mind and the heart of a person can become a cause of stress. Symptoms of stress: Stress can be detected from many different symptoms which affects the healthy functioning of mind, body and emotions. The symptoms of stress due to work problems are burnout, pessimism, increased dissatisfaction with the job, absenteeism, inefficiency at work etc.(Davis, Eshelma & Kay, 2008, p.221). Lack of motivation, errors in judgment, difficulty in decision making, irritability, sense of time pressure and accidents are also the symptoms of stress (Davis, Eshelma & Kay, 2008, p.221). Physical symptoms include frequent headaches, stomach problems and increase in blood pressure (Davis, Eshelma & Kay, 2008, p.xvi). Following are the stress symptoms related to job: Physical symptoms: Insomnia, muscular tensions, muscle spasms, obesity, physical weakness, lack of energy, high blood pressure, chronic pain, chronic illness etc. . (Davis, Eshelma & Kay, 2008, p.12). Emotional Symptoms: Hostility, anger, resentment, emotional exhaustion, feeling of suppression etc. . (Davis, Eshelma & Kay, 2008, p.12). Cognitive Symptoms: Poor judgement, focusing on negative aspects of life, constant worry, racing thoughts, inability to concentrate, memory problem etc. (Davis, Eshelma & Kay, 2008, p.12). Psychological Symptoms: Fears, phobias, anxiety in personal and professional life, depression, hopelessness, low self-esteem, low confidence level, powerlessness, obsession with unwanted thoughts etc. (Davis, Eshelma & Kay, 2008, p.12). Coping Strategies and solutions to reducing stress: According to the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, it is one of the general duties of an employer to ensure that no such practice should be entertained at work place which will cause harm to the well being and the overall health of their employees (Health and Safety Executive, p.3). It is also a duty of an employer to support and maintain an environment at workplace which encourages equal and fair treatment of the employees, and to create and maintain a positive environment which enhances the health and welfare of the employees (Health and Safety Executive, p.3). Hence, it is clear that it is legally mandatory for the employers to maintain health supporting environment at work. The study of the causes and the symptoms of the stress makes it clear that the reason behind stress is the competitive and demanding personal and professional life. Due to harsh demands of work life, finding even little time for family enjoyments has become impossible. This shows that people suffer from stress because for 24 hours of a day, they are alert and tense. The pressures of the professional life are so overwhelming that they are not able to relax even in their sleep. The first step towards management of stress is to relax (Smith, 2002, p.41). Over 2000 studies have revealed that different relaxation techniques, if practised regularly, reduce and prevent the stress related problems to great extent (Smith, 2002, p.42). Following are the different ways to reduce and prevent stress: 1. Lazarus(1984) has described stress as ‘a relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her well-being’ (Cotton, 1990, p.29). So, stress can be avoided by assigning the job to person according to his/her comfort level. This will not only increase the productivity but also will ensure a healthy and positive environment at work. 2. Sudden change in the nature of job can cause stress. Hence, consulting the employee prior to change in shift or the nature of the job can reduce stress (Stranks, 2005, p. 31). 3. Better communication between managers and subordinates can reduce stress as it removes the feeling of isolation and make employees feel that they are being cared for (Stranks, 2005, p. 31). 4. Sense of justice is extremely important to reduce stress and stress related problems at work (Miner, 2007, p.106). Research has found that a sense of justice is experienced when there is a transparency in the work place and a clear explanation is given behind the actions which is perceived as wrong by the employees (Miner, 2007, p.106). It has been found that more than an apology, an explanation is perceived well by the employees (Miner, 2007, p.107). 5. Regular exercise reduces anxiety and tensions and hence, helps in reducing stress (Gregson, 2000,P.45). Yoga is one of the best solution for stress. According to Vishnudevananda(1960), ‘yoga philosophy holds not only the answers to all man’s problems but also offers scientific way to transcend his problems and suffering’ (Cotton,1990, p.135) . As yoga has physical as well spiritual dimension to it, it makes man aware of his life priorities and distinguish between temporary pleasures and meaningful permanent pleasures. This can help man to decide how much importance he should give to work and how much to his personal life. This helps to create a balance between professional and personal life. 6. Stress can be handled better if the body is fit and healthy. Hence, following a balanced diet which includes plenty of water, vegetables, fruits, protein and whole grains increases enhances the health and helps in coping with stress (Gregson, 2000,p.46). 7. A proper and adequate amount of sleep is extremely important to give energy and rest to the body. Too little sleep affects healthy functioning of the mind and the body (Gregson, 2000,p.47). Hence, adequate sleep helps in reducing and preventing stress. 8. Relaxing is a very important coping strategy for the problem of stress. Taking a little time for fun and relaxing activities every day helps in dealing with stress (Gregson, 2000,p.47). 9. Emotional suppression leads to maladjustments in relationships. Emotional maladjustment not only causes stress but also makes communication difficult. Trust and openness in relationships with family members and colleagues is extremely important to lead a healthy and happy life. Hence, talking about your feelings and emotions to a friend or spouse helps a great deal in reducing stress (Gregson, 2000,p.48). What causes stress in human being is a fight with time. Man has become obsessed with the idea of achieving more in less time. It makes him to go against the natural rhythms of the body and the mind. This negative effects on his health and hence, causes a lot of stress. Stress begins to reflect when, in an attempt to gain material satisfaction, man forgets the importance of physical, emotional and psychological satisfaction. The solutions and the coping strategies described above are nothing but the strategies that help man to get in touch with his own self once again. Eating healthy food, having adequate sleep, regular exercise, spending time with the family and relaxing are the techniques that aim at making man get in touch with his spiritual self. For happy and satisfied life, it is extremely important to have a healthy mind and a healthy body. The purpose of job is to have mental satisfaction by utilizing skills and to earn money which can be used to fulfill the desires of personal life. However, creation of stress due to excessive expectations and desires creates problems in professional and personal life. This completely deviates man from the true purpose of life which is happiness and satisfaction. Hence, the only way to prevent stress is to realize that achieving personal happiness and satisfaction is more important than any other achievement in life. References: Cotton, D.,1990. Stress Management: An Integrated Approach To Therapy. New York: Brunnel/ Mazel, Inc. Davis, M., Eshelma, E. & Kay, M., 2008. The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook. Canada: New Harbinger Publications. Gregson, S., 2000. Stress Management: Managing and Reducing Stress. Minnesota: Capstone Press Harris, J. & Hartman, S. ,2002. Organizational Behaviour. New York: Best Business Books Health and Safety Executive, Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Available at http://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.pdf (Accessed 21 October, 2009) Stranks, J. , 2005. Stress at Work: Management and Prevention. MA : Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. Smith, J., 2002. Stress Management: A comprehensive Handbook of Techniques and Strategies. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Read More