It is believed that a little pressure at work can be motivating and help you

It is believed that a little pressure at work can be motivating and help you perform better by teaching you ways of overcoming obstacles that may occur. But when this pressure becomes disproportionate to the demand of your job, it can lead to work-related stress. Then when certain strains in your job exceed your ability to cope, it can lead to undesired feelings at work or even toward colleagues. Likewise, workplace bullying, harassment, or unrealistic deadlines may lead to feelings of inadequacy negatively affecting your ability to cope. Work-related stress is more prevalent in public service industries, such as education, health and social care and public administration and defense. However, stress does not discriminate against career, age, nor gender. “Things” can become difficult and this is when you need to ask for help, and our licensed therapists at Lifeworks are here for you.

An estimated 65% of Americans cited work as a top source of stress, according to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) annual Stress in America Survey 2012. Of those who participated, only 37% of Americans surveyed said they were doing an excellent or very good job managing stress. APA’s Center for Organizational Excellence surveyed that work-related stress is a serious issue. The survey also showed that more than 33% of working Americans have experienced chronic work stress and only 36% of them said their workplace provides adequate resources to manage their stress. Work and career-related stress therapy can really make a difference for many by helping them find strategies to adequately manage their stress on a daily basis.

Also, with therapy, you will be able to track your stressors, develop healthy responses, establish necessary boundaries, take the time to recharge, learn how to relax, and get the support you need. When you begin a therapy process, you may be assigned homework, such as keeping a diary for a couple of weeks to identify which situations create the most stress and how you respond to them. Once that has been established, instead of attempting to fight stress with unhealthy cravings, we will work together to create healthier stress-reducing regimens, like exercising. Another issue we can tackle is work-life and personal-life boundaries. The boundaries will vary depending on the individual as well as the job itself. Then, to avoid the negative effects of chronic stress and burnout, a recovery process will be implemented to turn work off.

Relaxation is a key component to the success of any kind of therapy

Relaxation is a key component to the success of any kind of therapy. Every individual is unique to what relaxes them, the main differences are how they impact you overall. With your therapist, you will create strategic and adjustable plans to relax depending on the circumstance. Once you have established a rapport with your inner stress and decreased it you will be able to properly obtain the support you need to maintain this new level of being. Maybe we can work together with you to speak to your supervisor or colleagues for better work-related stress support systems as well. Hence, counseling for work-related stress may be for you.

Understanding the negative implications of work-related stress, it is important to seek proper help as early as possible. Some people push it off thinking that the feeling will pass or that everyone feels that way, but not dealing with your stressors will only make things worse. As a basic rule, when you spend so much time at work, it should make you feel good, satisfied, feel proud of what you do. Nonetheless, this is not always the case, and feeling stressed for a prolonged period of time can greatly affect your life, physically and mentally. In fact, work-related stress is thought to lead to mental health problems, such as anxiety, low self-esteem, low self-confidence, depression, and suicidal ideations.

Here at Lifeworks, we serve the community of Carrollton, Dallas, Plano, Frisco, and the surrounding cities. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation about work-related stress with a therapist, contact us today.