I have already written about stress and how it manifests. Today I want to talk about the dynamics of work place stress.

The first point having helped people deal with stress almost on a daily basis with counselling and hypnotherapy I would like to make is that it’s not all about work. Usually work life balance and outside-work factors are at play. Relationship problems or bereavement for example can add to stress levels.

Stress is increased to a dangerous level when unwanted demands outweigh resources.

Let’s talk about unwanted demands first. I was on holiday recently and I had to make one two minute phone call one evening. Because I thought ‘this is my holiday and I don’t want to be making business calls’ I had a stressful day ruminating about this small affair of a short phone conversation. The point is that it was unwanted.

In the business environment unwanted demands can come in two guises; the first from the company or the boss asking too much from you, it may be an unreasonable demand or the way it is demanded. More often it is the way that you receive it. The other is more subtle. It is your own demands of your self. Your own high expectations, trying to prove that you are the hardest worker, stay longest in the office and please the boss are the most powerful. Maybe you were criticised as a child or sometime along your path you have received the message that you are ‘not good enough’. You have a point to prove, but there is a cost and you may not notice the cost until it is too late.

So what can you do about it? Resources are the simple answer. Counselling is extremely useful at looking at your life as a whole, working out where those demands are coming from, and what you can do differently on a practical level. It can also help with reframing negative thought processes.  Hypnotherapy and meditation are recognised methods of relaxation, along with massage and other therapies.

If you would like a chat either as a boss who wants to implement stress management (it is a legal requirement) or your life is creating too much stress. Then give me a call at Calm Minds, hypnotherapy and counselling for stress, here in Bramhall Cheshire.

I will visit you if that is more convenient anywhere in Cheshire, Greater Manchester or the North West.