ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- Uncertainty, isolation, loneliness and stress can increase mental health challenges and can be harmful to our health.
The stress experienced between people varies from person to person and may be caused by many factors. Work is a major stressor to many of the people in the working class.
Workplace stress and poor mental health can negatively affect workers through their job performance and productivity, as well as in their engagement with others at work. It can also have an impact on workers’ physical health, given that stress can be a risk factor for various cardiovascular diseases. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more than 80% of U.S. workers have reported experiencing workplace stress, and more than 50% believe their stress related to work does impact their homes lives.
Stress can be not only harmful to our health and increase mental health challenges, but workplace stress can also cause emotions like stress and grief, as well as feeling sad, anxious, trapped or isolated. These feelings can affect our relationships with our significant others, children and the people we care for outside of work.
Occasionally, workplace stress causes substance abuse disorders that make it difficult to navigate in a relationship outside of work but also makes it difficult to safely complete your job. OSHA states that workplace stress has been reported to cause 120,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.
Overall, you cannot have a safe workplace if you are not in a good headspace. Therefore, it is important to prioritize your well-being not just physically but also mentally and emotionally.
If you, like so many others, are experiencing this stress, then it is time to change the way you are doing things. When you start to feel stressed, take a break, go outside, go for a walk on the fitness trail, hit the gym or treat yourself to a nice lunch.
Make sure that you stay hydrated, that you are getting enough sleep, doing things outside of work that make you happy and that you are communicating with the people that you love.
It is important to prioritize yourself at work just as much as it is outside of work. If you have accumulated PTO days, take a day off to focus on your mental health, whether that be to stay home and rest, go on vacation or to go on a hike. Do not allow yourself to feel the guilt of taking days off. You will not excel at your job if you are struggling mentally.
Remember, to have a safe workplace you need to have a good headspace!
References: https://www.osha.gov/workplace-stress