Recognizing Stress & its Sources

As an individual, you almost certainly know what stress feels like. Stressors are events or situations to which people must adjust. Stressors may be physical or psychological in nature. The level of severity of stress is determined not merely by exposure but the intensity, duration, and frequency of stressors. The sources of stress are many. They arise from multiple areas both with the individual and from the environment.

One source of rising stress is related to the rapid pace of change. Stress, anxiety, depression, phobias, all are part of the accepted fallout of the' business' of modern life, in which technology, far from freeing time for leisure, only seems to accelerate the pace. As an individual, you almost certainly know what stress feels like. Like individuals, organizations get stressed too.

A sense of frustration and anger
Irritability, poor concentration, and loss of appetite
Exhaustion, fatigue, headaches, or other pains
Depleting sense of enthusiasm and dedication
Increasing personal vulnerability
Loss of sense of humor and
An increase in sick leave.

Stressors and their Identification

Stressors are events or situations to which people must adjust. Stressors may be physical or psychological in nature. A stressor can challenge the person to work more effectively, or it could lead to a host of harmful effects like psychosomatic diseases, negative emotional reactions, and maladaptive behavior, etc.

Whether a stressor will produce eustress or distress depends upon the quality of the stressor, situation, and individual response to it. Some folks thrive on stressful situations while they overwhelm others. At least five variables - perception, job experience, social support, belief in the locus of control, and hostility have been found to be relevant moderators. There is ample evidence to suggest that stress can be either a positive or negative influence on employee performance. For many people, low to moderate amounts of stress enables them to perform their jobs better, by increasing their work intensity, alertness, and ability to react. However, a high level of stress, or even a moderate amount sustained over a long period, eventually takes its toll, and, performance declines. The impact of stress on satisfaction is far more straightforward. Job-related tension tends to decrease in general job satisfaction.

Stress is caused by various factors or stimuli known as "stressors." These can be external – environmental or internal – thought processes or the way we perceive things, people, or situations. Stressors produce various changes in the body manifested in various actions, emotions, and behaviors. Our body attempts to counteract or adapt to these changes to maintain the normal state.

Stressors can be broadly divided into three categories:

1. A real or actual stressor

Examples can be a change in the environment like getting a high grade or low grade in an Examination

2. The anticipation of an event or activity

Just thinking about a situation can produce stress e.g. worrying about the consequences of a Disease one is suffering from.

3. Imagined events or actions

These can evoke emotional responses e.g., dreaming about or fantasizing a situation. Stressors are the triggers that cause stress in a person. These are the circumstances and events that threaten the person and challenge his/her coping abilities. An accident, a lost watch, or conflict with friends, all can be stressors. These can be sudden viz., falling down and getting injured or long-lasting viz. being ill for a long time.

Severity of Stress

The level of severity of stress is determined not merely by exposure but the intensity, duration, and frequency of stressors. It is also important here to understand that the stressors when keeping on the building, have a cumulative effect,s and cause greater stress. Stressors may be classified as mild (few seconds to a few hours), moderate (hours to days), or severe (weeks, months, or even years). Their degree of intensity is also reflected in the nature of impact which the stressor has on the person's well-being.

s that create stress for employees. Some people have wants that always seem to exceed their earning capacity.

Sources of Stress

The sources of stress are many. They arise from multiple areas both with the individual and from the environment.

1. Environmental factors

Economic uncertainty does influence the stress levels among the personnel in the organization. For example, when the economy is contracting, people become increasingly anxious about their security. Political uncertainty, such as political threats and changes, can be stress-inducing. Technological uncertainty can also cause stress because innovations, such as computers, robotics, automation are a threat to many people.

2. Organizational Factors

Pressures to avoid mistakes or complete tasks in time, work overload, unpleasant co-workers, and an insensitive boss in the organization can cause stress among the employees. Lack of social support from colleagues and poor interpersonal relationships can cause much stress.

Peers play a more important role in the life of everyone. They sometimes govern even small things and happenings in their life. Day to day interactions with peers and peer pressure to make certain decisions is very demanding and taxing. Competition and comparison with others can put one under tremendous pressure. Peer approval and acceptance are very important but deviation from the peer norms leads to peer pressure. The conflict between personal ideology and peer norms gives rise to conflict and induces stress.

Similarly, excessive rules and lack of participation in decisions that affect an employee are instances of structural variables that might cause stress. Some chief executive officers establish unrealistic pressures to perform in the short run, impose excessively tight controls, and routinely fire employees who do not come up to their expectations.