There is no legal medical definition of stress. Yet doctors treat the consequences on a daily basis, and stress-related court cases are becoming commonplace.
Everyone has their own idea about stress. It is subjectively defined for each person. As such, a definitive interpretation remains elusive.
| Mental Health in the Workplace Survey commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation, involving over 800 companies "Work-related stress is the biggest occupational health problem in the UK, after musculoskeletal disorders such as back problems" "Stress-related sickness absences cost an estimated £4 billion annually." The Confederation of British Industry estimates the cost of stress related illness to be upwards of £7 billion, resulting from absenteeism and low productivity. "Half of all days lost through mental ill-health are due to anxiety and stress conditions" Despite the growing concerns of companies, less than 1 in 10 involved in the survey has an official policy on mental health. |
| Courts face an increase in stress-related cases "In 1999, 516 new stress-related court cases were handled - an increase of 25% from the previous year" The record payment in England for job-related stress was to a council worker last year, for £202,342. |
Todays threshold of stress
Our cavemen ancestors needed stress for survival. Today we need it for achievement, personal development and enjoyment of life. Stress only becomes a negative force when the level is inappropriate, best illustrated through the Yerkes-Dodson curve.
Psychologists discovered that both low and high levels of stress decrease performance. Our best performance is given under moderate stress, before reaching the threshold beyond which health is adversely affected. Being too long on this downhill slope is a causative factor of ill health, making it harder to recover.
The stress threshold is unique to each of us. It is dynamic, as a situation we can handle one day can prove demanding and annoying the next. It is our reaction to this condition that transforms it into a positive or negative force.
| Pressure is the agent of stress. Stress results from the effect of too much or too little pressure. The right amount and right sort of pressure is essential to proper functioning. |
| 40% of working people say they are under excess pressure International Stress Management Association |
Our reaction to stress
Our response to stress is a function of our personality, physiological make-up and learned experience. It is our lifestyle, perspective, and understanding of fundamental issues that dictate how we cope with the problem.
Worry is the centre of the condition, along with negative emotions such as anger, fear, hate and sadness. We respond to these as if they were physical threats, with the same body reactions such as muscles tensing and heart beating faster that enabled our cavemen ancestors to fight or flight, for survival. But our comparative sedentary lifestyle provides no outlet for pent-up feelings, and stored tension can slowly devour our levels of resilience, capability and health if left unchecked.
Life-work balance
More people are actively seeking a balance between work, home life and hobbies. Part-time work, job sharing, carers' leave and study leave are incentives offered by companies that address this growing demand.
| It is recognised that employees are more productive if they are able to balance work with their own interests. A Work-Life Balance Challenge is being developed by the Government. |
50 plus concerns
The sources of stress at 50 plus are varied. Children leaving home, being grandparents for the first time, caring for an ageing parent, facing redundancy or retirement, changes in relationships and sex life, or social isolation. On careful examination, these factors all encompass either change, expectations or concerns over ageing.
Written by K Mellish.
03/06/2009