Signs & Symptoms of Having Stress at Work You Should be Careful About

Stress at work symptoms’ range from mild to severe, and they start with something as basic as a headache. It is common to have a headache after a long day in front of the laptop or a brainstorming session with your colleagues, but if something is happening too frequently, then chances are there are some underlying issues.

Approximately 94% of Americans experience stress at the workplace, and they don't find it until it is too late. The thing with signs of stress at the workplace is that they are too basic and can be confused with tiredness or just a little change in routine. This article sums up all the common mild to severe workplace-related stress symptoms that should be paid attention to during the early stages.

Signs and Symptoms to Spot Work-Related Stress

The early set signs of work stress are a cry for help which should be taken seriously. Work-related stress symptoms don't just occur overnight, but they result from several days of stressful encounters at the workplace. If you know someone subjected to an unpleasant work environment or a workplace with a high probability of stress, then these signs and symptoms could be a clear indication that they need help.

1. Increased Heartbeat

Whenever we encounter a stressful situation, our heart rate increases to prepare our body organs for a fight or flight response. This sudden rise in a heartbeat maximizes the oxygen flow to vital body organs, and this response could be a leading factor in a heart attack. If you experience a sudden increase in your heartbeat at work, then it could be a sign of stress at the workplace.

2. Anxiety

From common anxiety, which you feel throughout the day, or just the anxiety of going back to work, you can feel your body rejecting a place or a person. It is a common stress at work symptom. Although it is common to hate Mondays and getting up in the morning with a bad mood, but a toxic work environment is always more than a job you hate. Often our body is trying to tell us through various signals, and anxiety is one such thing.

If you feel endless anxiety while going to work or every time your phone rings, you fear it's your boss or even a simple meeting sends chills down your spine, chances are your body is indicating work-related stress symptoms.

3. Sweating

During a stressful situation, our body temperature rises to a certain degree; thus, the body starts to sweat to reach a normal level. This usually occurs when you are nervous and exposed to a stressful condition, usually before a big presentation. While getting cold sweats is common, profusely sweating at work could result from an excessive anxiety developed condition also known as hyperhidrosis.

4. Digestive Issues

Stress has a direct relation with digestive issues, and many people are aware of this. Thus people who suffer anxiety experience diarrhea or constipation and a sudden urge to vomit. Since the gut is controlled through the central nervous system, a direct strain on CNS can directly affect digestion. So the next time you feel those butterflies at work? They are not always happy butterflies. It is a stress at work symptom.

5. Changes in Appetite

People with stress or undergoing a stressful episode experience great variations in their appetite. From eating nothing to munching the whole day, there is no fixed pattern for stress induced appetite. This is why many people who undergo stress tend to gain or lose weight all of a sudden.

6. Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is one of the common stress at work symptoms and earliest signs of stress in the workplace. Although an improper posture could get you a pain in the back or neck, it's nothing that couldn't be solved with an ergonomic chair or an adjustable table, but if the pain extends for a longer period, then it is an indicator of stress.

7. Frequently Falling Sick

No virus occurs every two weeks, but if you are frequently falling sick such as having episodes of migraines frequently, observing deterioration in digestive health, getting a fever, and a cold without any particular season, this might be due to workplace stress.

8. Changes in Libido

Changes in sex drives and stress are related. As the stress hormone is repeatedly released in the bloodstream, the concentration of other hormones is affected. This results in people having too much or withdrawn sex drive as a result of stress and it is also a stress at work symptom.

9. Insomnia

Insomnia is a disease that is associated with depression at work and stress. People who suffer from work-related stress have trouble sleeping or may experience a shift in their sleeping habits. Most of the time, the worries of work keep them up at night, and they don't want the day to end, so they don't have to go back to work.

10. Depression

Chronic stress, if not treated on time, can result in depression. Clinical depression has become one of the costliest illnesses in America, and depression is amongst the top three workplace-associated problems.  Even though there are other contributors to depression, an unhealthy workplace environment could be a major leading factor in depression. Depression is one of the most popular stress at work symptoms.

Tips to Minimize the Symptoms of Work-Related Stress

Although work-related stress is caused by a work environment that is too toxic for a human being, there are multiple ways through which you can fight the stress at the workplace and keep your sanity intact.

• Give yourself a break from work: once you reach home, try turning off all the appliances and take space from your work by switching off your phone.
• Spend time with your family: a common reason people feel stressed at work is that they feel they have no work-life balance. Try focusing on your family once you get home and chat with them to have quality time.
• Practice meditation: if you have few minutes left in your break, then you must practice some stress-relieving exercises at work. These exercises don't ask for too much movement, and you can even do them on chai or with the help of a standing desk.

Present your concerns: effective communication is the key. If you find it hard to work some days, ask for hybrid working or flexible hours from your boss. Or you could introduce the hybrid workforce model yourself to the higher authorities.