A lot of people work from Sunday to Sunday with little or no time for rest all in a bid to meet some crazy targets, and deadlines or to satisfy a perfectionist mindset.
Although a little stress here and there is normal when it gets in the way of personal life and relationship with family and friends, It can lead to emotional, mental, and physical ill-health.


According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) job stress or work-related stress is different from challenges faced at work because once a challenge is met the next is the feeling of relaxation and excitement among workers.

However, when demands are not met and working hours increase, one begins to feel exhausted rather than excited, illness may set in affecting both the mental and physical well-being of an individual, and in the long run injury and job failure can happen.

Now let's talk about what stress is, the factors that cause stress, how to know you are stressed and how to deal with work-related stress.
What is stress?
Stress is a state of mental and emotional drain. It is the feeling of being overwhelmed by emotional and mental pressure. CDC defines job stress as the harmful physical and emotional responses that come when the job requirements don't match the capability, resources, or needs of the worker.


How do you know you are stressed?
Now stress does come with some signs and symptoms just like those of any illness or disease.
Signs and symptoms that show you are being stressed are:
1. Headaches.
2. Fatigue or tiredness.
3. Insomnia or sleeplessness.
4. Low self-esteem.
5. Low sex drive.
6. Frequent ill-health( nausea, constipation or diarrhea)
7. Rapid heartbeat.
8. Lack of enthusiasm
9. Mood swings or irritability

When you feel you have been having one more of these signs then you surely are suffering from stress.
The eighth sign which is Lack of enthusiasm is in sync with low self-esteem.
The lack of confidence in your personality can affect your drive to do a good job because you are scared you may not be able to execute that job under pressure.


The next question here is " what are the conditions that can lead to the signs and symptoms of work-related stress as listed above. I believe no one signed up to get stressed out along the line even though there are challenges that come with working on a job. ​

Some factors that can trigger off work-related stress are:

1. Work demands tends to cause a lot of stress when it becomes more of a burden than an excitement when there is much work and limited time or resources.
2. Inability to take control of your work environment.
3.Lack of support from coworkers and and supervisors during difficult times.
4. Stiff relationships between you, colleagues and management.
5.Changes in the organisation structure of
a job which workers are not prepared can send shocking waves of job insecurity citing lack of opportunity for growth or promotional advancement in their careers.
6. Work roles; when the demands from a job or an added role is not understood, the expectations can be conflicting

Stress cannot be eliminated completely from our lives, however, there are ways to manage the stress for effective productivity and they are:

1.Learn to balance work, personal and family life.
Adopt the "policy of work activities stay at work" map out times to read mails or take phone calls.
Even as a remote worker, there are stipulated times for carrying out your duties, stick to this and don't over-exert yourself.

2. Keep trusted friends and family close to you.
These are people you can rely on to help with some tasks when the work load becomes quite challenging.

3. Try to keep your schedule organized
Know what your job role entails; that is what is required of you. You can speak to your supervisor when you are not clear on any added role or when the role becomes overwhelming.

4. Be selfish sometimes.
Learn to set aside time for fun and relaxation. Make sleep time a priority and eat at the appropriate times during the day. It helps to keep the mental energy up.

5. Avoid engaging in interpersonal conflicts, gossips or controversial topics such as religion and politics that would warrant you to chatter away instead of working. This can affect your physical and emotion health.

6. Learn to develop good communication skills that would improve your relationship with colleagues and management.

For Employers
1 . Encourage social and interpersonal interactions between workers in your organisations.
2. Give opportunities for employees or workers to be a part of decision making regarding their job roles.
3. Organize stress management trainings
and also establish employees assistant programs that can help employees to work better in challenging situations.

4. Encouragement for vacations or few days off work should be strategically designed to help workers take time-off the stress at work.

5. It is also important to ensure that the job requirements or description fit the capability and resources of an employee to prevent mental breakdown low energy etc