| Work stress 09:43 - Mar 9 with 3108 views | MrSwerve |
How do people deal with it? Has anyone taken time off for stress?
It's a bit of a taboo subject, much like mental health. Just thought it would be an interesting point of conversation. [Post edited 9 Mar 2020 10:14]
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| Work stress on 16:10 - Mar 9 with 1267 views | Wingstandwood |
Talking is good, it’s far better than bottling things up! Nothing wrong with taking leave also.
What happens with some people is they wrongly view stress to be a form of weakness. The irony of it all is? It’s the complete and utter opposite…. THE very symptoms show the total opposite i.e. someone has esprit de corps and job commitment to the organisation/company that (rather ironically) is the cause of stress in the first place.
What makes a office, classroom, lecture room, confined space, consultation room, etc a major contributory cause of stress IMO is, the fact it’s harder (if not impossible at times) to burn off cortisol. That can cause symptoms of stress or cause someone to feel even more stressed.
It’s vastly more preferable to be stressed having a physical job, because at least the physicality of that involvement enables release of stress hormones and pent up restless energy and emotions..... Next best thing to Beta Blockers that.
I have an extremely close relative who faced a similar situation caused by ever mounting casework caused by under staffing. Now this individual has extreme levels of mental toughness and ability to cope of that way beyond that of the average person. But that thing of being 'only human' took its toll, and got in the way with her also. Psychopaths and robots i.e. the two groups with zero stress levels. |  |
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| Work stress on 16:17 - Mar 9 with 1262 views | Professor |
| Work stress on 16:03 - Mar 9 by monmouth |
Mmm I see it as analogous to the NHS too. Luckily for me it's not a career, more a hobby, so I don't get at all stressed (except by sometimes how shit some 'students' can be), as anytime I want to stop...or they no longer want me...I can pack it in. It's a nice bit of supplementary pension though and it's too easy to get used to that and want to retain it, but that's when the power would shift, so I'm not giving anyone any power over me and I just say no to appraisals and crappy meetings as a condition of me continuing. One day someone will just tell me to sling my hook, and I'll probably end up grateful. For a career person in HE though, I have observed it is getting to be increasingly toxic, but still has enviable flexibility.
That said, on the wider general point regarding people being stressed, I have had extraordinarily stressful jobs in the past, and lost perspective now and again and functioned poorly sometimes. I guess all I can say is that one day you will look back and realise it wasn't really that important, so it would be nice to be able to apply that sense at the time (I couldn't). Doing mundane jobs that I knew I could handle around the house (like painting) or jogging while listening to audio books really helped me stay calm at least when I was out of the hurricane. In retrospect I had serious imposter syndrome (I can see now I was in no way an imposter). The brain is a f*cker, don't always believe it. Find someone you trust to talk to. I'd be shocked if it wasn't the majority now with today's pressures for consumption. [Post edited 9 Mar 2020 16:11]
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Its a vastly changed job in the last 6-7 years. Once the 9k fee and big VC salaries kicked it universities are run by idiots who have taught little or never been engaged in research in a big way. Its all empires built on sand that need continuity of income through student numbers or research grants. The clueless are in charge and increasingly nasty with it. Don't get me wrong, i have enough income and good publications for REF which shields me from the worst. Now being told after 16 years I have to take a teaching qualification despite having won a university award for outstanding teaching innovation. Beyond belief. All about ticking a box and league tables- TEF, REF, Athena Swan, NSS, THES rankings, QS ranking etc etc. ad nauseam.
Teaching gets worse and researchers are demoralised. Pay has gone down for many in real terms, plus a complete mess up of the USS pension scheme. I would not do it now. |  | | |
| Work stress on 16:48 - Mar 9 with 1240 views | 3swan |
As already posted you have to find your own way to try and switch off without alcohol being the answer.
Different things for different people and difficult to achieve due to personal circumstances.
Take your job seriously but don't be serious about the job. A big factor is the people you work with, a laugh and a joke goes a long way.
The worst thing to do is to struggle through, share your work problems as someone may have an easy answer. | | | |
| Work stress on 17:15 - Mar 9 with 1211 views | Zaxx |
Having a sympathetic and understanding manager would help a lot for sure. Try and speak to them candidly without playing the victim, you'll never be taken seriously if you've already lost in your own mind.
Exercise, hugs, laughs and smiles have got to be the best medicine.
My last two managers have had completely different approaches. The last one I had always used the 'what the f*ck do you want me to do about it' angle, my current one takes the laissez faire approach and does absolutely nothing to help either, lol
As a few have said, you have to speak to your colleagues and discuss any issues as best you can. Ask them for their opinions on things and how they're doing etc. (and don't forget the personal and companionship angle) It may well be that some of them have slacked off their duties due to personal difficulties of their own.
Lots of ways of skinning cats, I hope that you find what works in your circumstance. |  | | |
| Work stress on 18:18 - Mar 9 with 1140 views | BDS |
If you feel you're struggling go and have a chat with your GP. Mental health problems can be difficult to admit to but are certainly not a taboo subject nowadays. It can be comfortable to admit you are in need of help but it won't be something your doctor hasn't heard before.
Untreated stress can lead to major health problems.
I ended up retiring early due to my problems and should have sought help earlier. | | | |
| Work stress on 18:19 - Mar 9 with 1140 views | monmouth |
| Work stress on 16:17 - Mar 9 by Professor |
Its a vastly changed job in the last 6-7 years. Once the 9k fee and big VC salaries kicked it universities are run by idiots who have taught little or never been engaged in research in a big way. Its all empires built on sand that need continuity of income through student numbers or research grants. The clueless are in charge and increasingly nasty with it. Don't get me wrong, i have enough income and good publications for REF which shields me from the worst. Now being told after 16 years I have to take a teaching qualification despite having won a university award for outstanding teaching innovation. Beyond belief. All about ticking a box and league tables- TEF, REF, Athena Swan, NSS, THES rankings, QS ranking etc etc. ad nauseam.
Teaching gets worse and researchers are demoralised. Pay has gone down for many in real terms, plus a complete mess up of the USS pension scheme. I would not do it now. |
It was the removal of the cap, and 'competition' that did it in for my money. It's now all business and no real care about education as long as the numbers can be shovelled through. All the reasons I joined have largely disappeared. Fat cats and 'keep students happy'. Make sure they get easy lives and 2:1s or masters commendations. Some of the quality being churned out beggars belief, but it keeps a whole raft of shit 'managers' and associated hangers on in place. Because I can say whatever I like now ('oh that's just him') I was asked about my business experience and what I would do to cut costs. I said sack anyone with deputy in their title. Unbelievably that is 10 people in one department, all getting in the way of people trying to actually do the income generating work, or sitting in offices staring at screens thinking up ways to make things worse, fuelled by brainless government 'improvements'.
As you say, NHS on rinse and repeat. |  |
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| Work stress on 19:04 - Mar 9 with 1094 views | AguycalledJack |
| Work stress on 14:02 - Mar 9 by Cooperman |
Can you tell me more about #7?
I’m not a great sleeper, far from it in fact. I regularly have instances where I’m still staring at the ceiling at 4am and for no apparent reason (it’s not caffeine as I don’t drink coffee past late afternoon). |
You would be suprised how caffeine even if not drunk late afternoon can affect your sleep. Try going cold turkey on the caffeine, you will feel like crap for about 3 days but then you will notice a massive difference. Replace with hot water and lemon.
Re point 7 , google sleep hypnosis you tube and this should throw up a number of options. I usually use Jodie Whitley or Michael sealy. I usually go for the stress and anxiety option by jW. Stick your headphones in and drift off to sleep.
As a quick fix take a deep breath, hold for 30 secs and then slowly release. Do about 3 times. I find it useful. [Post edited 9 Mar 2020 19:44]
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| Work stress on 19:11 - Mar 9 with 1082 views | Darran |
Hilary Swanks sister Gloria is what you all need. |  |
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| Work stress on 19:13 - Mar 9 with 1076 views | exiledclaseboy |
Excellent thread this. Always good to talk about mental health issues and to share tips on how to deal with them. |  |
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| Work stress on 19:21 - Mar 9 with 1057 views | Neath_Jack |
| Work stress on 14:58 - Mar 9 by MrSwerve |
Thanks for the posts and suggestions guys. Have been struggling a bit as of late (I work in academia and the amount of 'non-academic' work that we have to now do in terms of student support, administration and monitoring of well-being is getting almost unworkable...often find myself working before and after normal working hours just to keep things running smoothly).
This tends to come and go in waves for me. My sleeping pattern over the last month or so has been pretty poor...as you've said Cooperman, I find myself regularly awake for a lot of the night pondering over all of the things that I need to do. It's not uncommon for me to get 3-4 hours of sleep at most.
Since about a year ago I took up running which I found helped massively. If you're shattered enough, you'll sleep! It does get tough though to fit exercise into a normal daily routine.
It does feel that in my particular case that workload isn't always fairly shared and that I'm left firefighting issues to keep things ticking along. We had some voluntary redundancies last year and a couple of us have had to pick up the brunt of the work (i.e. covering modules outside of our specialism, which requires a hell of a lot of 'homework' to do it properly). Doesn't help then when you have specialists in those subjects who seem to get away with murder.
I'm going off on a tangent slightly there into sector-specific stress...but it's always nice to vent! It's certainly something that I feel I need to take up with my boss, although he is the kind to shrug off this kind of thing with 'don't worry it'll get better' types of comments. I do feel sometimes that the only thing that'll change anything is to go to the doctors and get signed off, but I'm conscious that it'll leave other colleagues in an even worse position...and I'm too 'nice' to do that. I know that that isn't the way to look at it though. Probably part of my problem! |
You absolutely need to sit down with your line manager and discuss what you feel is happening, both positive and negative. If you are feeling really stressed, then you need to put that in an email to your line manager as well. If they don't know about it, then they can't help to sort it out. If you ever need to go down a legal route, you must have informed them of how you are feeling, thus giving them a chance to correct it for you.
Speaking about it isn't showing weakness, neither is going to your doctors either.
Exercise is fantastic, although that can just mask deeper routed issues as well. |  |
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| Work stress on 19:40 - Mar 9 with 1035 views | Muteswan |
| Work stress on 14:02 - Mar 9 by Cooperman |
Can you tell me more about #7?
I’m not a great sleeper, far from it in fact. I regularly have instances where I’m still staring at the ceiling at 4am and for no apparent reason (it’s not caffeine as I don’t drink coffee past late afternoon). |
A lot of caffeine in Coca Cola and similar drinks as well as tea and coffee. As for getting off to sleep you could try something that has worked for me in the past. Lie on your back with arms by your side and starting at your feet , tighten and hold the muscles for a short time and then relax them, then move up to the calves and repeat. Try to do this right up through your body even as far as closing your eyes tightly and releasing. Try to keep the rest of your body relaxed whilst working on each part and of course, breathe gently. Only trouble with this these days for me is by the end of all that I usually need to get up for a pee (age again) 🙄 Good luck, not sleeping just exacerbates the problems the next day. Vicious circle. â˜¹ï¸ |  | | |
| Work stress on 20:31 - Mar 9 with 975 views | BillyChong |
Change jobs, life is too short to be stressed all day and beyond. | | | |
| Work stress on 20:58 - Mar 9 with 931 views | Jackfath |
I always find drinking heavily helps. |  |
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| Work stress on 21:00 - Mar 9 with 926 views | alltjack |
Stress should be your bosses problem | | | |
| Work stress on 21:17 - Mar 9 with 892 views | Cooperman |
| Work stress on 19:04 - Mar 9 by AguycalledJack |
You would be suprised how caffeine even if not drunk late afternoon can affect your sleep. Try going cold turkey on the caffeine, you will feel like crap for about 3 days but then you will notice a massive difference. Replace with hot water and lemon.
Re point 7 , google sleep hypnosis you tube and this should throw up a number of options. I usually use Jodie Whitley or Michael sealy. I usually go for the stress and anxiety option by jW. Stick your headphones in and drift off to sleep.
As a quick fix take a deep breath, hold for 30 secs and then slowly release. Do about 3 times. I find it useful. [Post edited 9 Mar 2020 19:44]
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Right'o thanks. I will take a look. |  |
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| Work stress on 21:20 - Mar 9 with 889 views | JACKMANANDBOY |
| Work stress on 21:00 - Mar 9 by alltjack |
Stress should be your bosses problem |
A couple of years ago I was briefed on the work done in a sister organisation to the one that I was working at. Stress was an ongoing problem and the board employed a consultancy to work with individuals to map their stressors at work, 250 staff
One individual senior manager appeared in 80%+ of maps. He was sacked after an investigation into his behaviour. |  |
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| Work stress on 21:49 - Mar 9 with 856 views | Luther27 |
Funny thing stress. I never realised I suffered from it until I with drew from the environment that was causing it. Over a period of weeks according to my family I became a different person. I didn't need medication, counselling change of diet etc.
Looking back it was my denial and ignorance that was the issue. I suppose the answer is knowing you have an issue. This then enables you to then find a solution....and the solutions are very diffferent for everyone. | | | |
| Work stress on 22:39 - Mar 9 with 812 views | dickythorpe |
Big issue these days is some work their balls off, do extra hours whilst other coast and do the bare minimum.
If this is happening to you and it is one of the reasons you are stressed you MUST speak to your manager or go higher i.e. Human Resources.
I'm 6foot 3 and 17 stone......I've been told I can be intimidating.....so I always tell my much better paid superiors if I'm getting the arsehole with someone.....it's worked wonders and has saved me many problems.
But in all fairness I believe you have to find something engaging and rewarding after work.
When you have a day off next go somewhere you think might be quiet, take it all in. |  | | |
| Work stress on 12:44 - Mar 10 with 665 views | leighton1318 |
I don’t wish to belittle any issue with genuine stress in the workplace but I would like to flag the Getting Things Done approach, which may also be helpful in managing a heavy workload.
I was fortunate that my firm ran a few seminars on this some time ago and I found it really helpful as a way to prioritise and plan my time.
Essentially it’s a system for managing the combination of regular tasks and immediate inbound requests. I was taught how to use it in Outlook, so linking calendar and tasks to inbox.
OFC it doesn’t do the work for you, but the structure and time allocation it gives you ought to help.
The link below is a good intro but there is tons of other stuff on the web.
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/~ | | | |
| Work stress on 17:15 - Mar 10 with 593 views | SingUpNorthBank84 |
Regular exercise. Most under prescribed medication available. | | | |
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