I work in a technical based service industry, that is one of the most stressful jobs there is. OK I am not under fire in Afghanistan and I am not an Emergency Room Doctor but never the less, the service industry is one in which everyone wants everything done yesterday.
In the past I used to think I could get everything done each day, I would work more and more hours thinking I could get the work completed but the more I did the more work came in, I never caught up. I was spending 10 hours in the office and 4 hours a night on the laptop. Suffice to say it did me no good.
I started to get head aches, tense muscles, feelings of being uncomfortable, physical symptoms I could feel but there was nothing wrong with me if you looked at me. I became irritable at work and would be seen as moody, the smallest question or issue and I would feel cornered and snap at my colleagues.
I recognised this a few years ago and sought help, now I have what you can call insight and I can see when I am stressed and I try to take actions to prevent it.
One thing I have noticed now is the behavior of a stressed person at work and I try to let them know and help them by talking and asking them if they need to share a problem. One of the main causes is that we feel we have no control, that life is controlling us. This is a common fear and one that affects those who do not like flying for example, its not being in an airplane it is because we are not in control of it and we have to trust someone else with our life for a period of time.
Work is no different, if we feel we have no control then we will become stressed. We will try to do it all ourselves and this just is not possible anymore, there is too much information. We need each other.
When you feel angry or frustrated at work, take a moment and ask yourself.
- Do you feel you have so much work to do you don;t know where to start?
- Do you feel no one tells you what you need to know?
- Phones ringing or people asking you questions, makes you angry quickly?
- When you get home you just want to sleep?
These are all key indicators of stress and depression. Do not be worried, it is normal and it happens to all of us. Seek help, talk to friends, your partner, family, colleagues. Just let people know and understand that life it tough and sometimes we all need help to get through.
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