Workplace stress increases the risk of dying. This conclusion from the 'Modern Workers Health Check' study comes at the same time as the first threatened legal action from the government over stress levels in a NHS trust.
Every person's stress is unique. Stress to one person will be stimulation to another. The aim is to acknowledge what causes your particular tension and tips you over the peak into an uncomfortable zone.
There are well-known methods of looking at stress factors, such as the Life Changes chart.
Take a few minutes to consider what affects you most. What makes you upset, anxious, or angry so that your heart beats faster, you sweat and become irritable and lack focus? For assistance, consider the different ways of categorising stress factors; the external ones that we cannot control and the internal ones that we can control. Most are multi-factorial, so you will most probably have a number of those listed.
| External | Internal |
| Environment - noise, bright light, heat, confined spaces | Lifestyle - excessive caffeine, smoking, drinking, drugs, not enough sleep, trying to do too much |
| Other People - rudeness, bossiness, aggressiveness, bullying | Mental State - pessimistic, self-critical, unrealistic expectations, taking things personally, lack of flexibility |
| Work - rules, red tape, take-overs, redundancies, long hours, deadlines, shift work | Personality - perfectionist, workaholic |
| Major Life Events - death of partner, relative or close friend, serious illness, being sacked, new job, marriage, divorce, moving house | |
| Everyday hassles - commuting, misplacing keys, queues | |
Recognising what causes you emotional or mental discomfort is an essential step to managing your stress.
Stress at 50plus - change, expectations and ageing
The sources of stress at 50 plus are varied. For example, 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. Work, Caring and Relationships all warrant a chapter of their own and will be added later.
The stress involved in caring for an ageing parent, with the role reversal encountered, cannot be underestimated. We have developed a guide to Supporting Independence which captures a large amount of useful information enabling carers to surmount the many unnecessary hurdles at this emotive time.
On examination they encompass change, expectations, and concerns over ageing.
Change
Change can be a challenge or a debilitating worry. Positive changes such as promotion and marriage still causes concern as we are faced with a situation outside usual daily activities.
Relationships change - loss of a loved one, children move away, parents become ill and require care, you become grandparents, change of partners, divorce.
Work situation changes - redundancy, retirement, promotion, threat from younger ambitious colleagues, retraining.
Expectations
We all have expectations of ourselves and of those around us and are conscious of what is expected from us. Together they can be a daunting prospect.
Expectations of ourselves
Our ambitions and ideas of success are very individual. The key is to recognise them and ensure they are realistic goals within our reach. Accept challenges within your limits that provide moderate stress, keeping you at the peak of performance, and be able to say no to those who take you beyond your capabilities.
Expectations from others
Our employer, employees, work colleagues, partners, children, family and friends all have expectations of us. These may differ from what we perceive them to be. Knowing what is expected of us through effective communication can ease unnecessary worry.
Expectations of others
Authorities, technology and service levels, as well as employees, children, partners and family. We know what we want and will strive to attain it to prevent disappointment.
Ageing
With advancing age we could expect stress to decrease, as we learn from experience and see the wider perspective. But as we grow older, worry about health and the cosmetics of ageing get stronger. The experience of seeing a loved one face disease instils the fear of ageing still further, increasing stress. Experience and common sense tell us that worrying does not help but only adds to the problem, accelerating the ageing process. The stress response mechanism controls the rate of ageing. Cellular stresses produce accumulated damage over time, causing ageing.
The fear of ageing can tip you either way: withdrawing from enjoyment and missing out on positive challenges, or worrying excessively, putting yourself under unnecessary pressure to do everything you can to stay young.
Ageing need not be feared. Life should be embraced, for there are many adventures still to enjoy. Under moderate stress, this can be enjoyed to the full. Faith within ourselves, embarking on a healthy lifestyle, nurturing relationships and having fun will be far more beneficial than avoidance of life participation due to fear of the natural ageing process.
03/06/2009