Stress is a lifelong illness. No living thing can claim to be stress-free; some may have a lot of it, some manage to keep it domesticated at all times and therefore have a lower degree of stress. “They poison our lives with the fear of theft and shipwreck, and, ask anyone, the house is never stolen and the ship never sinks.” (Jean Anouilh). A lot of stress is created and inflicted on itself.
There is self-induced stress and there is stress due to external factors. Both are equally deadly, but in my opinion, the stress caused by the “internal mental configuration” is more lethal. If the predominant external factors lead to a more stressful life, the individual always has the opportunity to move away from these circumstances. No. the stress that increases as a result of its internal lifting can be ignored.
Stress triggers anxiety. Most of us are stressed by performance; to meet the expectations of others, both co-workers and family members. We continue to judge whether we can accept the challenge. We wonder if I have the ability, the talent, and the means to achieve my goals? Through internal conversations with oneself, we reach a high level of stress that causes anxiety to set in.
The dictionary says that stress is the body’s reaction to a threat, while anxiety is the body’s reaction to stress.
Anxiety, on the other hand, is defined by persistent and excessive worries that do not go away even when there is no stress factor. The Psychological Association of the United States of America defines anxiety as “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes such as increased blood pressure.” Anxiety is a disease of the soul.
Stress can come and go, anxiety is more persistent and persistent because inherently anxiety does not necessarily have a quick or identifiable trigger. Stress and anxiety cannot be eliminated from the life of any individual; they acquire the status of a problem or a medical condition, when emotion overwhelms. Stress can be a lifelong illness, if left untreated.
Stress can be both positive and negative. The adrenaline rush makes for an extra ordinary performance. Stress to be disciplined for quality performance will fall within the realm of positive stress. Positive stress is unlikely to result in ulcers; instead it announces a state of general happiness. In contrast, negative stress increases blood pressure, increases heart rate, and reduces a person’s high level of anxiety that is invariably detrimental to their health. When I look at my own career, I find that some of my best acting moments were when I was in a state of silent stress. The anxiety (stress) to perform has the potential to release positive energy that allows you to achieve the desired results.
Stress stimulates action. It impacts creativity. For those who only act when challenged with a stressful environment, it is an elixir; a source of life. This attitude, however, has its own limitations. In the short term, that is, in the younger years of life, it can be a vitamin for a lively life, but from middle age it can become a poisonous initiation for a secure future of heart problems.
Leaders / managers who suffer from stress and anxiety make sure that they continue to transfer sufficient doses each day to their colleagues, through strange behavioral responses. At the first hint of proving an opinion that defies or denies their vision, they would lose the shirt in public and create an unhealthy scenario, which will harm and obscure the judgment of their reports and, in turn, will make the whole environment. toxic. Of course, there are many in the business world, who shamelessly subscribe to the popular dialogue, of an Indian film, “tension lene ka nahi, ene ka” (translated little by little, do not take the stress but give it to others). Those who practice this with full knowledge that this is a despicable management attitude are essentially sadistic, who have the pleasure of causing pain to others.
Supervisors who choose to maintain very short deadlines for the performance of the task, without taking into account the full determination of how many hours of input would be required to achieve the objectives, are those who contribute to maintaining a high level of stress in the environment. These types are labeled, albeit erroneously, as masters of difficult tasks; no, they are corporate bullies, with no knowledge and competence to know how long it takes to produce quality work. A true hard-working teacher is one who assigns tasks / tasks, including heavy ones, to his or her teammates, and monitors them regularly, with full assistance through direct participation in performing the task and making the environment is conducive.
These are the engines of motivation and not the stressors. Leaders and executives may be stubborn to perfection, but they should not be tyrants or corporate villains who, through misconduct, whether intentional or unintentional, help pharmaceutical companies sell antidepressants or sedatives.
Those who suffer from stress are found to be irritable, angry, tired, tired, have muscle cramps, difficulty sleeping and, in the most severe cases, have digestive problems.
I’ve only been associated with the financial sector, and within its folds, there are many functions that are less stressful, but there are others, such as treasury that induce high levels of stress. From a very young age I experienced being in the treasury function, a very high level of acidity. The stress of maintaining the liquidity position and the exchange position was enormous. Heartburn was unsettling and a medical condition unsettling.
Some managers view anxiety not as a temporary condition, but rather as a trait. A condition may experience a change in approach and training to avoid it; while a trait is part of the personality. There are some leaders and supervisors who enjoy creating panic conditions for the smallest things; for team members, this is done by setting fast timelines for performing a task. Some do it by punishing schedules, they can even start working (for personal reasons of insomnia) in the early hours of the morning — they love to live a life of rooster and keep working (pretending!) Until the wee hours in the morning, after making sure the owls have retired to sleep. I’ve seen these managers.
In this enactment, productivity sinks; something that goes wrong with the person, who is creating stress and anxiety in the work environment. Lack of performance is a fear that engenders, stress and leads to anxiety. Thomas Jefferson had said, the pain that never happened has cost us a lot of pain.
During times of stress, it is best to leave the desk and walk around the office. If you live in a city with pleasant weather conditions, it is even better to take a walk out of the office. Breathing exercises also help reduce stress – so do trees and plants. Watching a fishbowl is a relaxing experience. If your supervisor is a stress generator, give him or her a fishbowl for his or her cabin; or place pots of fresh green plants or flowers. It will surely have a magical effect on behavior. This is a tried and tested formula personally.
The writer is a senior banker