MANAGING STRESS AND AVOIDING BURNOUT
By Lisa Goatley, M.S., L.P.C.
Lisa Goatley, M.S., L.P.C. Photo courtesy of Lisa Goatley.
Recognizing the signs of excessive stress or burnout in yourself or your employees and addressing them as early as possible will make you, your employees and your workplace more effective. If you are a manager or supervisor, you understand the cost and time required to hire and train new personnel. Te opportunity to retain a good employee provides
even more incentive to work with those under excessive stress or approaching or experiencing burnout.
Stress Defined
Stress is your body’s physical and mental response to a demand (stressor). Stressors can be both good and bad experiences. Stress is a normal part of life. We need some stress because it causes us to get things done—but we don’t want to be overwhelmed.
Everyone feels stress from time to time. What we find stressful is different from person to person. On a recent trip to a speaking engagement, the plane I was on was held on the tarmac after boarding for an hour to evaluate a dent in the plane found on pre-flight inspection. Recognizing that this was out of my control, I took the opportunity to recline and rest. Te woman next to me, however, was completely upset, worried, and stressed over this unexpected delay. We each find different things stressful.
Types of Stress
Survival stress occurs when there is a threat to our physical well-being. It triggers the fight or flight response, and causes the body to release adrenaline, cortisol, and other stress hormones.
Internal stress occurs when we worry about situations or issues that are beyond our control or when we worry unproductively and do not engage in problem-solving behavior. We lie awake at night and cannot shut off our mind. Environmental stress occurs when the things around us stress us. Examples include noise, traffic, crowding, family, co-workers, supervisors, living conditions, etc.
Strategies to Manage Stress
Exercise. Tis is very important in managing the physiological fight or flight response to stress. Our response to stress produces chemicals within our bodies that we need to burn off with some sort of physical activity. Without some form of release, our bodies respond to these chemicals often with gastrointestinal problems, heart disease, ulcers or headaches to name a few. Stores are filled with over- the-counter medications for stress-related illnesses. A better strategy is exercise. It tops the list for treatment of depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes and a plethora of other physical conditions triggered by stress.
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Fatigue and overwork (burnout) comes from stress that builds up over time and negatively impacts our body and mind. It generally is caused by working too much or too hard and is exacerbated by not knowing how to take time for rest and relaxation.
Our personal choices add to the build-up. An engineer patient of mine once insisted that she needed to keep her cell phone on during a therapy session because her field technicians were working in the rain with severe storms in the forecast. She couldn’t manage to take one hour just for herself. As is often the case, her greatest strength (caring for others) was also her greatest weakness.
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