Workplace stress

While no form of stress is good over long periods of time, workplace stress can be particularly damaging because of the proportion of time people spend in the modern workplace and the significance work carries financially, socially, and even with our own sense of identity.

Causes of workplace stress

Just like any other part of our lives, the reasons why people feel stressed in the workplace are many in number and can vary greatly from person to person.

Some of the more common triggers for workplace stress include:

• Feeling under lots of pressure at work or working long hours.
• Facing big changes at work, e.g. change in job description, management or working environment.
• Having responsibilities at work that are overwhelming.
• Job insecurity or feeling like there’s not enough control over work outcomes.
• Not enough work coming in, leading to concerns about payment of bills, employee wages etc.
• Experiencing discrimination, lack of respect, harassment, bullying, hate or abuse in the workplace.

While workplace stress is very common among both sexes, some studies indicate women are up to 1.5 times more likely to experience workplace stress and anxiety than men.

Common signs of workplace stress

Common signs that could indicate someone is struggling with workplace stress include:

• Sleep problems.
• Frustration, irritability and/or argumentativeness.
• Feeling fatigued or burnt out.
• Feeling unmotivated or negative about regular tasks.
• Taking excessive time off work or having regular sick leave.

Left untreated, workplace stress is often associated with short-term issues such as poor performance and increases in accidents or mistakes, while in the long-term loss of employment, poor health, substance abuse and depression are all regular outcomes.

Treating workplace stress

Our preferred therapeutic approach when treating workplace stress – and other psychological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder – is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or ACT.

ACT enables people to understand that circumstances in the workplace might be difficult and stressful, however they can adopt a positive mindset and use a variety of different methods to deal with these challenges in a positive way.

Our Brisbane psychologist also has experience in the following therapy types:

• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
• Exposure Therapy and Prolonged Exposure
• Motivational Interviewing

Online or face-to-face appointments about treating workplace stress can be booked at our Brisbane clinic through this website.