Insights into health care - Stress management

Raleigh McKeever

May 1, 2008

Much like life, workplace stress is virtually unavoidable. Regardless of your business industry or level within an organization, you have things that are stressful. And although some amounts of stress are good, too much can be harmful or even deadly.

Two main forms of workplace stress are mental stress and physical stress. Mental stressors include any actions related to the cognitive functions of the job; such as deadlines, meetings, analysis, problem solving, client relations and employee management. But they also can include some emotional issues, such as layoff fears, co-worker conflicts, and managerial restructuring. Mental/emotional stressors are often linked to stroke, heart attack and hypertension. But they also can leave the body vulnerable to the next category.

Physical stressors include actions related to the performance of specific activities, such as lifting, bending and reaching. Now, many believe that clerical and administrative jobs are exempt from this category, but that couldn't be any further from the truth. In fact, many of those types of jobs are high risk for repetitive stress injuries (RSI). An RSI most people are familiar with is carpal tunnel syndrome, which often is linked to improper form while using keyboards. When the body is overwhelmed with mental stressors, it is more likely to adapt unnatural postures and habits that can lead to pain and other physical problems.

Based on more than 15 years in various workplace settings and situations, as well as experience as a health care professional, I offer the following five suggestions:

1. Update your organizational skills. Often times, job stress issues are more related to ineffective organization of daily tasks. Poor organization can results in missed deadlines and unnecessary rushing to complete tasks, which also adds more unnecessary stress to daily duties.

2. Keep your skills sharp and be willing to increase them. When faced with fears of an impending merger or layoffs, the prospect is less stressful when one is better prepared in advance. And even if the worse-case scenario does not occur, you have only served to make yourself more of an asset to your current organization.

3. Look at different ways of performing your daily tasks. In some cases, you would be surprised to find how many different ways you can execute your daily job functions. By doing so, you can reduce the repetitive stress on the same muscles, which makes them more prone to overuse injuries. It also helps to add some variety to your day and may help you find a more efficient way of working.

4. Become more aware of your postural and activity patterns. Do you always bend your neck to the right to talk on the phone? Do you hold that same position for long periods of time? Do you often have neck pain on your right side? The more aware you are of such activities, the more likely you will be to stop yourself and reduce some.

5. Schedule regular appointments with a licensed massage therapist. Massage is great for reducing stress because it activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Also, if your therapist is properly trained, he or she may also be able to address some of the physical ramifications stress has taken on your body before they become more serious.

Raleigh McKeever is managing director of RPM Muscular Therapies Clinic