10 Ways to Reduce Workplace Stress

A couple of months ago Alice Crann Good, a local writer, spoke with me on behalf of Pensacola News Journal’s Bella Magazine about workplace stress. She was writing an article about the impact workplace stress has on people and possible solutions to reduce stress. Her research and our discussion resulted in an article appearing in November’s issue of Bella Magazine titled "10 Ways to Reduce Workplace Stress". My suggestions for reducing workplace stress address the following ten areas: (1) limits; (2) perfectionism; (3) organization; (4) focus; (5) environment; (6) movement; (7) nutrition; (8) sleep; (9) relaxation; and (10) humor. You can check out the embedded link "10 Ways to Reduce Workplace Stress" to read the entire article online or check out Bella locations to find out where you can pick up a hard copy of Bella around Northwest Florida. 

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Perfectionism Linked to Burnout

Today’s post looks at new research published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology that addresses how perfectionism can sabotage success at work, school or on the playing field, leading to stress, burnout, and other potential health problems.

In the first meta-analysis of the relationship between perfectionism and burnout, researchers analyzed the findings from 43 previous studies conducted over the past 20 years. It turns out perfectionism isn't all bad. One aspect of perfectionism called "perfectionistic strivings" involves the setting of high personal standards and working toward those goals in a proactive manner. The study found that these efforts may help maintain a sense of accomplishment and delay the debilitating effects of burnout.

The dark side of perfectionism, called "perfectionistic concerns," can be more detrimental when people constantly worry about making mistakes, letting others down, or not measuring up to their own impossibly high standards, said lead researcher Andrew Hill, an associate professor of sport psychology at York St. John University in England. Previous research has shown that perfectionistic concerns and the stress they generate can contribute to serious health problems, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, fatigue, and even early mortality. The study was published online in the Personality and Social Psychology Review.

"Perfectionistic concerns capture fears and doubts about personal performance, which creates stress that can lead to burnout when people become cynical and stop caring," Hill said. "It also can interfere with relationships and make it difficult to cope with setbacks because every mistake is viewed as a disaster.”

The study found that perfectionistic concerns had the strongest negative effects in contributing to burnout in the workplace, possibly because people have more social support and clearly defined objectives in education and sports. A student can be rewarded for hard work with a high grade, or a tennis player can win the big match, but a stellar performance in the workplace may not be recognized or rewarded, which may contribute to cynicism and burnout.

"People need to learn to challenge the irrational beliefs that underlie perfectionistic concerns by setting realistic goals, accepting failure as a learning opportunity, and forgiving themselves when they fail," Hill said. "Creating environments where creativity, effort and perseverance are valued also would help.”

Most people display some characteristics of perfectionism in some aspect of their lives, but perfectionistic strivings or concerns may be more dominant. The study noted that the development of a personality profile that identifies perfectionistic concerns might be a valuable tool in detecting and helping individuals who are prone to burnout.

Have you ever thought perfectionism might be a problem for you? Are you open to the idea of setting more flexible and achievable standards for yourself? Consider making an appointment with a counselor or therapist so that you might learn some some new helpful ways to set balanced and healthy standards for yourself so that perfectionism will have less of a negative impact on your life.

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Workplace Mindfulness-Based Interventions Reduces Stress Levels

While many people would describe their jobs as stressful at one time or another, workplace stress often ebbs and flows based on work assignments, deadlines, coworkers, and other variables. I think the research findings in today's post are particularly relevant for those people who work in careers in which stress is an inherent part of the daily grind.

A study by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that a workplace mindfulness-based intervention reduced stress levels of employees exposed to a highly stressful occupational environment.

Members of a surgical intensive care unit at the large academic medical center were randomized to a stress-reduction intervention or a control group. The 8-week group mindfulness-based intervention included mindfulness, gentle stretching, yoga, meditation and music conducted in the workplace. Psychological and biological markers of stress were measured one week before and one week after the intervention to see if these coping strategies would help reduce stress and burnout among participants.

Results of this study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, showed that levels of salivary [alpha]-amylase, an index of sympathetic activation of the nervous system -- also known as the fight or flight response -- were significantly decreased from the first to second assessments in the intervention group. The control group showed no changes. Psychological components of stress and burnout were measured using well-established self-report questionnaires.

"Our study shows that this type of mindfulness-based intervention in the workplace could decrease stress levels and the risk of burnout," said one of the authors, Maryanna Klatt, associate clinical professor in the department of Family Medicine at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center. Chronic stress and stress reactivity have been found associated with increased levels of salivary [alpha]-amylase."What's stressful about the work environment is never going to change. But what we were interested in changing was the nursing personnel's reaction to those stresses. We measured salivary alpha amylase, which is a biomarker of the sympathetic nervous system activation, and that was reduced by 40 percent in the intervention group.” 

Klatt, who is a trained mindfulness and certified yoga instructor, developed and led the mindfulness-based intervention for 32 participants in the workplace setting. At baseline, participants scored the level of stress of their work at 7.15 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most stressful. The levels of work stress did not change between the first and second set of assessments, but their reaction to the work stress did change.

When stress is part of the work environment, it is often difficult to control and can negatively affect employees' health and ability to function, said lead author Dr. Anne-Marie Duchemin, research scientist and Associate Professor Adjunct in the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center. "People who are subjected to chronic stress often will exhibit symptoms of irritability, nervousness, feeling overwhelmed; have difficulty concentrating or remembering; or having changes in appetite, sleep, heart rate and blood pressure," Duchemin said. Although work-related stress often cannot be eliminated, effective coping strategies may help decrease its harmful effects." "The changes in the levels of salivary alpha-amylase suggest that the reactivity to stress was decreased after the 8 week group intervention.”

If stress is an everyday normal occurrence from the minute you start your job to the minute you walk out the door, consider looking into mindful based interventions to help alleviate some of your stress. 

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Psychosocial Perfect Storm: Stress, Depression, and Cardiovascular Health

More research findings in today’s post regarding the effects of stress and depression on cardiovascular health. It's always interesting reading articles that outline the relationship between mental health and physical health.  

According to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal, the combination of stress and heavy depression can significantly increase heart patient's risk of death or heart attack.

The study examined the effect of high stress levels and high depressive symptoms among nearly 5,000 heart patients. Researchers concluded that risk is amplified when both conditions are present, thus validating the concept of a "psychosocial perfect storm.”

"The increase in risk accompanying high stress and high depressive symptoms was robust and consistent across demographics, medical history, medication use and health risk behaviors," said Carmela Alcántara, Ph.D., lead author of the study and associate research scientist at Columbia University Medical Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health in New York.

Study participants included 4,487 coronary heart disease patients, 45 years and older, enrolled in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study.

During in-home examinations and self-administered questionnaires from 2003-07, participants were asked how often during the past week they felt depressed, lonely or sad, or had crying spells. To determine stress levels, participants were asked how often during the past month they felt they were unable to control important things in their lives, felt overwhelmed, felt confidence in their ability to handle personal problems and felt things were going their way.

About 6 percent reported both high stress and high depression.

During an average six-year follow-up, 1,337 deaths or heart attacks occurred. Short-term risk of death or heart attack increased 48 percent for those in the high stress-high depressive symptoms group compared with those in the low stress-low depressive symptoms group.

The elevated risk was most strongly associated with death rather than heart attack; additional result suggest the deaths may have been cardiovascular-related, but more research is needed, researchers said. The risk was significant only during the first two-and-half years from the initial home visit, and wasn't significant for those experiencing either high stress or high depressive symptoms alone, but not both at the same time.

Study findings may challenge traditional research paradigms that only focus on depression and its impact on patients with heart disease, Alcántara said. Behavioral interventions also should be considered to help heart disease patients manage both stress and depression better.

I highly recommend checking out the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. They have many interesting findings regarding stroke risk factors that have been gathered over the past decade. 

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Personal Relationships vs. Therapeutic Relationships

In my last post, I discussed how mental health maintenance was important for everyone. Counseling and therapy were identified as effective ways to develop or strengthen coping skills during stressful times. A few people who read that post mentioned to me that they understood that they should take time for themselves or self-evaluate to monitor whether they were overwhelmed or stressed. However, they didn’t understand the benefits of talking with a mental health professional if they have friends and family with whom they can discuss problems. 

While friends and family are a source of support, the manner in which support is offered in a professional therapeutic relationship is different. It is important to clarify that therapy and counseling are not intended to replace friendships or family, but rather to enhance these relationships. So, how is talking with a counselor, therapist, or psychologist different that talking with friends, family, or significant others?

• A counseling or therapeutic relationship is not reciprocal. The mental health professional’s job is to focus on a client’s concerns and offer support and encouragement. An appointment with a professional is a client’s time to focus on his or her issues without feeling obligated to focus on the issues or successes of the person with whom he or she is speaking. 

• The counselor is a trained professional who has spent many years learning about different ways to help clients cope with issues.

• The therapeutic relationship is confidential. While one certainly hopes that friends and family  will respect the privacy of loved ones, a therapist is ethically and legally bound by confidentiality. Unless a client is an immediate danger to themselves or others, conversations between a therapist and client will be private.

• The therapist exists outside of the normal flow of the client’s life, and therefore has the perspective of an outsider. Because of the nature of the therapeutic relationship, the therapist will not be angry, offended, or judge a client for statements made during a session.

While a therapist will never and should never replace a client’s supportive relationships with friends and family, it can be helpful to have an objective outsider who will be available for a set time and at a reliable location regularly to help with issues. Consider these benefits when weighing whether therapy or counseling might be an option for you or someone in your life.

Until my next post, spend time with your friends and family. Thanks for visiting!

Mental Health Maintenance: It’s for Everyone

In my last post, I discussed how exercise and nature can help reduce symptoms of stress and depression. That information is very much related to this post as participating in exercise and nature-related activities would be considered types of coping skills which is a large component of mental health maintenance. But, in general, what exactly is mental health maintenance? Well, that depends. For an individual who has a diagnosed mental illness, most people would probably say that mental health maintenance would consist of taking prescribed medications as needed, keeping regular appointments with mental health professionals, self-monitoring for any signs that one might need to seek help, and utilizing coping skills that were learned in counseling or therapy to keep stressors at bay. In a sense, mental health maintenance looking through the lens of a diagnosed mental illness, is not much different than maintenance for an individual who has any chronic illness such as Diabetes, Heart Disease, or Epilepsy. 

That means that everyone else, those people who have no diagnosed mental health illness, are off the hook for mental health maintenance, right? Well, again, that depends on how one approaches other aspects of his or her life. How do you maintain your car? Do you regularly inspect and change fluids, balance and rotate tires, or inspect and replace filters, belts, and other miscellaneous car parts? Do you perform similar preventative maintenance with your house, your yard, your clothes, your hair, your body, or your teeth? Many people are not able to perform what many consider to be routine maintenance for themselves or for their possessions because they lack the means and opportunity. Many people, who have the means and opportunity, think nothing of performing, what they consider routine maintenance because they believe that they are protecting investments or their long-term health. However, if people leave their emotional and mental health unchecked, stress can escalate into more severe issues that could negatively impact daily functioning or ruin physical health.

What does mental health maintenance look like for someone who does not have a diagnosed mental illness? Well, in many ways there is a lot of overlap because optimal physical health and stress reduction are recommendations for both populations. Exercise, healthy eating habits, and sleep hygiene are tips that everyone should heed. But how someone combats stress can be pretty unique and particular for each individual person and is dependent on his or her coping skills or methods. One person might relax by receiving a therapeutic massage while another person might enjoy getting manicures and pedicures to unwind. Some people use books, art, music, and athletics as an outlet. Others enjoy socializing with friends and family while some enjoy assorted hobbies to blow off steam. For some, the act of maintaining various aspects of their life, be it home, yard, garden, etc., is in and of itself, a form of relaxation. Many people find peace through prayer or meditation. All of the aforementioned things can be categorized as coping methods that people use to deal with stress. A problem arises when a person has unhealthy coping methods, insufficient coping methods, or no coping methods at all. Sometimes demands or events in life are greater than an individual's ability to cope. During these times, people can often feel overloaded, under tremendous pressure, and very tense or emotional. Counseling or therapy can be useful for these situations to help people develop new, or rediscover once used but forgotten, coping skills. 

So—mental health maintenance is for everyone.  

Until my next post, practice those coping skills. Thanks for visiting!