Work stress, prevention is better than cure!
Hard work is of all times, but work stress and the associated dropout rates are taking on worrying proportions.
The annual National Survey of Working Conditions (NEA, 2017) conducted by TNO and CBS shows that 15.9 percent of workers struggle with burnout symptoms. This is more than in past years, and we also notice that the number of coaching questions with work stress or work/life balance as a theme has increased significantly.
Performance pressure and competition
This is not surprising since we live in a society where the pressure to perform is enormous. Social media adds to this pressure because it allows us to judge each other and constantly mirror ourselves against others. Competition can be quite fun, but becomes a problem if all of our lives are dominated by it; the obligation to meet the expected ideal makes us try harder and harder. Furthermore, competition means that only one person can win and the other loses anyway, which undermines the natural desire for connection between people. A society that relies on individualization and competitive spirit sees a rise in people struggling with burnout and depression.
Personal failure due to work stress
Our bodies are increasingly put under too much pressure in our modern society, with all its consequences. If we are no longer comfortable in our own skin, all too often we attribute it to personal failure. We think we should try even harder, work even harder, make even better choices. Today, everything has to go faster and faster, including the way we think, consume, work and relax.
Making other choices
We need to look for a way where we work (hard) and keep feeling good at the same time are balanced. That means figuring out what is really important to you, making (different) choices and setting more boundaries. So instead of being constantly in touch with the office and letting work and personal life intertwine, it helps to delineate non-work time and plan free time, but 100% without work, preferably offline. We need this to recharge our battery which allows us to last longer and/or perform better. Further, we need to focus more on what we can do rather than what we can’t do well. Self-esteem is an important condition for feeling satisfied at work.
Research is increasingly clearly establishing the link between prolonged stress and
diseases. In addition, it has been shown that today we face a true epidemic of stress in the workplace; nearly 2/3 of employees regularly experience stress or frustration in their current jobs.
So let’s take good care of each other and ourselves in 2020 and stay on top of work stress!