After going through my first blog (https://www.syngrity.com/stress-what-is-it/), many people have asked me a question, “All this information is great but can all this be avoided?” To address this issue of stress management, we need to know the various sources of stress. Once the cause is known, the first step of damage control is taken care of. Taking forward our research work on KOKORO- the heart of stillness we have identified various sources that cause or are potent of causing stress to an individual.
BLOG 2.0
What causes stress?
Causes and effects of stress are diverse. A situation, which is highly stressful for one individual, might not be stressful at all for another. The various causes of stress are associated with the personal (constant need to prove oneself, low self esteem, low confidence), family (dysfunctional/ toxic relationships, loss of a loved one, job transfer, strict parents, sibling rivalry, constant comparison), cultural and societal (peer pressure, coping up with new trends and technology, societal norms and expectations), organizational (deadlines, competition, failure, feeling incompetent, ambiguity, burnout, work culture, work space) and environmental (pollution, traffic, cramped living spaces, noise pollution, weather, temperature, littering, lack of facilities) elements of one’s life.
VARIOUS SOURCES OF STRESS
PERSONAL STRESS
Knowing more about personal stressors; are you compensating unconsciously?
Some of us feel incompetent, under-confident and under rate our potentials and abilities. This negative evaluation leads to a low sense of self esteem because of which we find ourselves in a state where we are constantly compensating. For instance, if an employee isn’t very well versed in spoken English, he/she might end up working extra hours (meeting more targets than assigned) in order to outshine others and compensate. This doesn’t benefit the person but it adds more stress. Most of us are unconsciously compensating for something or the other all the time. One needs to identify these behaviors and opt for corrective measures. It is not only unconsciously compensating but other personal attributes like striving to be perfect in everything rather than chasing excellence, always gauging oneself lower than counterparts, worrying about physical appearance (no one notices my work but that scar on my face), assuming responsibility and not delegating work with the fear of losing information and subsequently importance. Some of us will realize that they behave/ think in the same manner while reading the blog as these issues are acknowledged consciously while reading, do not stress! We have corrective measures coming up in the following blogs.
UNDERSTANDING LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
FAMILY AND STRESS
Individuals cannot and do not exist in isolation. Since the time of conception we are forming connections and bonds which we have no idea about. Our family is our constant pillar of strength but can be a source of stress at other instances. Unhealthy relationship between parents in India turns out to be one of the major reasons behind delinquent behavior. Punitive male/ female parents, obvious or not so obvious sibling rivalry, constant comparisons are some perennial sources of stress but usually are thought to be harmless and employed with the intentions to bring out the best out of someone. By the time one realizes the negative impact of these, a lot of damage has already been done. Other sources of stress in the family are abusive relationships, uprooting and settling somewhere else (job transfers) and loss of a significant family member. At times such situations bring out the best in individuals; at other instances the consequences are irreversible. Such interventions leave a deep mark during childhood and manifest later in life, therefore such signs need to be paid attention to and managed well.
CULTURE SOCIETY STRESS
We all, by virtue of being born into a particular country, culture and society are given some identities and a set of unwritten rules and regulations to adhere to. Some of these rules and regulations are not in sync with our personal choices and beliefs. We regularly face such situations of dissonance which cause a lot of stress. Some of these instances are mentioned below-
- The pressure to cope up with current trends. People invest a lot of time and money in clothes, gadgets, accessories and still feel dated and they are looking for newer better options.
- Stress to identify with a particular culture.
- Making life decisions of settling down at a particular age with someone (basis the normative and heterosexual societal norms). Either individuals succumb to these stressors and end up making decisions which they later on regret or they are battling these on a daily basis.
- Putting forth views turns into bigotry accusations.
One is expected to behave according to the societal and cultural norms of which, he/she wasn’t a member by choice. This is suggestive of the various clashes and discord between personal beliefs and those of the culture and society. In such situations the main causes of stress surface which need to be paid attention to for smooth functioning.
TECHNOLOGY AND STRESS
Reaching out to your phone without any notification is actually a notification
TECHNOLOGY is one of the major sources of stress and the impacts are diverse and usually taken for granted as a part of our lifestyle these days. Understanding the influence and our dependence on technology, we have decided to dedicate one of our upcoming blogs to the same.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRESS
What are you giving your organization and what your organization is giving you back
An employee spends 6-10 hours daily in office. Everything that happens in the workplace has both positive and negative impacts on the workers. With the increase in global exposure and cut throat competition, both within and from outside the organization, is not being dealt with efficiently. Employees are given the tasks to meet with unrealistic deadlines and the consideration bit is missing. According to a survey report shared by the Economic Times (2019), in India, there has been a drastic increase in the number of employees who are stressed, depressed and some are highly vulnerable to take the extreme step of taking their life. This survey only points out to the organizational stressors; of which failure and fear of failing tops the list. Employees do not want to indulge in any risk taking behavior which curbs their creativity and potential as they do not want to fail or feel incompetent. Another major source of stress is ambiguity and uncertainty. Employee role and responsibilities are ambiguous. They do not know what they are expected to do or how to go about projects and to this, job insecurity adds more stress. Physical environment like cramped working spaces, crowded offices are new add-ons to the list of organizational stressors. According to an article published by Forbes (January, 2019) 66% of the employees in America have lost sleep due to workplace stress and 16% have quit their jobs as they were not being able to cope with efficiently. Indian statistics are no different. Employees are stressed due to delayed salaries and perceive appraisals as unfair. The recent trend has witnessed employers and top management personnel taking a note of the situation and they are putting in efforts to make the work and workplace less stressful as stress levels directly impact productivity levels.
ENVIRONMENT AND STRESS
Industries and factories are coming up daily. A survey (cited below) draws our attention to the alarming rate at which the vehicles are manufactured and sold. More vehicles mean more traffic. Employees spend 2-3 hours daily in commuting to and fro for work. This acts as a stressor making the person irritable and frustrated. Factories, industrial plants, vehicles, construction, deforestation, lack of facilities are some environmental stressors that cause stress to the masses. A report has findings in which the researchers have suggested against morning walks to avoid exposure to the toxic air. Findings like these help us understand the gravity of the situation and the fact that things that surround us have such negative impacts on us. Our glaciers are melting at an alarming rate and flora and fauna are getting extinct. Crops are failing and wild animals are entering residential areas. Prices of essential commodities have increased many fold and basic amenities are not available to the masses. Increased mercury levels are becoming unbearable and the seasonal pattern changes every year. Not only are the aforementioned are a major concern for the authorities but have been consistently causing stress to the masses.
There are so many things that we find and have heard of being useful but turn out to be otherwise. From punitive parenting measures to the air we breathe, from the constant honking of horns to silent cell phones, all these are sources of stress and have started controlling our lives. We need to take note of these signs and learn to manage stressors before they become a dominating influence. In a proverbial language, a stitch in time saves nine. We should acknowledge these patterns and work on managing these sources of stress at personal, family, societal, organizational and global levels when we still have time to control the damage.
Niharika Sharma holds a masters degree in Organizational Psychology with diverse experience at observing human behavior in hospital and organizational settings. She has started working with Syngrity this year, with keen interest in research and data she has worked and is still working on tool development tasks. Mainly found paying attention to dogs, she is still a pro at stressing her boss!
References
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4613-3997-7_12
Very informative.. Keep up the good work!
Very informative and well researched. There are so many instances where I could relate to. In various degrees. 🙂 More intrigued, by the read.
I really wish to know about the corrective measures that Syngrity might offer. There is someone I know, who needs this kind of help. Also, do let me know if you have sessions dealing with this. It would be interesting to attend one.
Hi Poushali! We are doing our research to know and share about stress as much as we can. Our current research is going on in the area of stress management and would love to connect and share more!
This are some facts that people don’t realise. What if the person is going through unbearable stressful situation and has no way out? How can he/she help self?
Hi Aanchal! Our research work has helped us generate data and stats that are alarming. We will soon come up with ways in which one can manage stress efficiently. Stay tuned!!
Aanchal, stress manifests its physically, emotionally and mentally. We have a lot of faith in the process of breathing correctly. We wrote about it http://www.syngrity.com/different-kinds-of-breathing-a-warrior-should-know/
If there is a specific person you are referring to, we are happy to listen.
Looking forward to the next article on stress management.
We will be posting a lot more. We want to concentrate on the research first and then get down to offering processes to manage it.