Title: Workplace Issues: One of the Causes of Stress Word Count: 587 Summary: How workplace issues can be the cause of our stress Keywords: anxiety panic attack, stress management Article Body: Work. Work is sometimes referred to as “the sum of our existence.” Work is why we get up early in the morning and go home late at night. Work is what consumes most of our energies. We need to have jobs, so we are not idle, so we can have sense of purpose, and so we can survive in today's world. Work utilizes our talents, supports our family's needs and wants. However, work is also where we tend to be stressed out, with related issues making us weak, and at times, it even gives us some anxiety panic attacks. It is mostly at the office where we get spent our waking hours. It is there that that, no matter how much you try to avoid it, you end up feeling like you're trying to outrun a roadrunner despite knowing the futility of the act. It is there that the potential for conflict is high. You get to meet difficult people, you have an “impossible” boss, and you might encounter someone trying to make a move on the same position you've been eying for the past six months. It is there that you first have this mid-life crisis. It is there that temptations abound left and right. The long hours, the threats of being laid-off, and workplace bullying can cause harmful emotional and physical responses. These things can happen whenever there is a conflict between job demands and working with other people. In retrospect, the high demands of a particular job and the knowledge that we don't have any control of the situation often leads to stress. Stress produces strain, disrupts equilibrium, and it is the source of any number of emotional, physical, economic and social problems. The stress from our work could be from countless hours in overtime, cutbacks on our privileges, and the pressure to perform to an exacting standard. Prolonged workplace stress leads to absenteeism, sickness, dissatisfaction, high employee turn-over, and reduced job efficiency. Even petty office politics can be enough to set someone off, making them irritable and rash with their decisions. According the National Institute For Occupational Mental Health report cites the following about workplace stress: ? 25% view their jobs as the number one causes of stress in their lives ? Three-fourths of employees believe that workers have more on-the-job stress than a generation ago ? 26% of workers said they were “felt burned out often” by their job ? Job stress is more strongly associated with health complaints than financial problems SYMPTOMS OF WORKPLACE STRESS ? Aching muscles ? Restless sleep ? Fatigue ? Loss of appetite ? Irritability ? Low morale ? Headache ? Upset stomach STRESS MANAGEMENT Don't reach for a chocolate bar for comfort or grab a burger to cope with stress. Here are tips to manage workplace stress. 1. Yoga – preferably in a gym near your office 2. Proper Planning – schedule your business trips and other matters, but leave room for adjustments 3. Balance – find time to focus on your personal and family life 4. Social Network – surround yourself with friends you can lean on 5. Positive Outlook – let work-related issues cease to bother you at work There is a need to have stress management programs. Companies should be concerned with their employees' mental health, as well as the physical, as stress hampers productivity. They should help solve difficult work situations and get to the bottom line. Stress management programs teach workers about the nature and sources of stress, as well as the effects on their health. This program is workable and easy to implement, with many potential benefits for the employer and the employees alike.