Work Stress: It Isn’t Getting Any Easier

A recent report has found that the our working culture of high stress and long hours means that there are more people off work with mental health problems here than in any other country in the developed world (click here) but, what’s to be done about it?

Well, you could quit. And then quit the next stressful job, and then the next, and the next and so on. Or, you could learn how to manage your work stress more effectively, in a way that isn’t so detrimental to your health and wellbeing and also possibly learn to be more assertive and stand up for your rights, no matter what your company’s working culture is (it’s quite surprising just how many people are too scared to leave work on time).

Both CBT and hypnotherapy are excellent tools for helping you do all that and more. They can help you view your workload in a more rational manner and also help you achieve a more harmonious work-life balance.

I’ve said it before in other blogs on this site but, short of a massive overhaul in the way work is viewed, there is only therapy.

Work-related stress management and anxiety disorders are my two particular areas of interest. And the two often overlap.

From the bottom to the top, practically everyone in work feels that they are at breaking point.

Therapies are often offered to staff or sought out by people as a cure, i.e., after they have broken down, or gone off sick.

Personally, I believe CBT and hypnotherapy should be brought into the workplace as prevention rather than a cure. In the form of regular weekly workshops to help staff manage their workloads better.

Some HR departments moan about the cost of such workshops, but then the above study estimates that mental health issues cost the UK economy about £70 billion each year.

But, even if your company isn’t that forward thinking, it’s well worth investing some time in yourself. After all, no ones’ famous last words have ever included, “I wish I’d worked harder.”