Stress. Stressing. Stressed. These are the many moods of the average working professional in India. Almost 89% of the working population, including 95% of millennials, in India are estimated to be suffering from stress at their workplace.

We are all aware that some stress is inevitable at work. However, when it moves from a temporary issue to an excessive and chronic one, it becomes a matter of serious concern.

Running from meeting to meeting, deadlines, the never-ending string of emails and dealing with unpleasant clients are all contributors to workplace stress. Growing economic concerns in the previous year haven’t helped either. According to a 2019 study, work-related stress complaints from employees doubled to 16% in 2019, when compared to a year ago.

Besides regular workplace stress factors, corporate employees are also plagued by the uncertainty of their jobs, poor increments, and challenges meeting revenue targets.

In this challenging environment, workplace stress is born.

What is work-related stress?

According to the World Health Organization, “Work-related stress is the response people may have when presented with work demands and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge, and abilities and which challenge their ability to cope.”

It’s true that when you’re really unhappy with your job, it can wreak havoc on your body. Many digital entrepreneurs and content creators have recognised aches, sicknesses, sleeplessness and mood changes as primary symptoms of work-related stress. There comes a point when it all becomes too much.

If you ever feel like you’re on the verge of experiencing stress and burnout at work, watch out for these signs.  

Warning signs to watch out for

  • You seldom leave your desk: Stress at work can bog you down completely. If you can’t find a minute to get yourself a cup of coffee or break for a quick chat with your colleagues, it’s clear you’re overly stressed. Being chained to your desk can decrease productivity and reduce motivation.  
  • Suffering from insomnia: While feeling physically exhausted at the end of a working day is normal, unable to sleep soundly is not. May be there’s a submission deadline you’re not able to get out of your mind. If this sounds like something you can relate to, beware! A relaxing bedtime routine starts by turning off your electronic devices.
  • No work-life balance: Employees who are over-passionate about their jobs are at a greater risk of burnout. Job dedication is good thing but not at the cost of your physical and emotional well-being.  
  • Pressure to conform to deadlines: If you’re worrying about submissions, deadlines and performance reviews even after work hours, chances are that you’re stressed. This feeling can further lead to chronic headaches.
  • Aches and pains: Being stressed affects an individual both physically and psychologically. Whether it’s a backache from a bad chair or a headache from staring at the screen for too long, these are potent indicators of stress.  
  • Mood changes: If you notice yourself getting agitated or annoyed about the smallest of things at work, it is an indication that everything is getting a bit too much for you.
  • Acne, hair loss and physical changes: An unpleasant work environment steals the energy you require to take care of yourself. This can have physical manifestations such as frequent acne, hair loss and change in physical appearance.  
  • Using social media extensively before sleep: Social media is no longer a stress buster; it is more of a stress booster. Using social media excessively before you go to sleep can make you feel isolated and lonely, thus heightening stress levels at work.

These are some of the alarming signs of stress at a workplace. Start by identifying the main culprits of stress and change your lifestyle to eliminate the repercussions.

Author(s)

  • Malini Agarwal

    Founder and Creative Director

    MissMalini Entertainment

    Malini Agarwal a.k.a MissMalini is the Founder & Creative Director of MissMalini Entertainment, a leading media lifestyle brand that creates highly engaging, multi-platform content geared towards India's Internet Generation.

    Malini is India's first and most famous Digital Influencer, having pioneered Indian lifestyle blogging with her website MissMalini.com in 2008. Today MissMalini Entertainment content reaches 30 million people a month every across their owned channels, with over 10 million direct social media followers.

    A regular speaker at CMO forums on digital brand building, Malini was featured in the ET Women Ahead Listing of 2018 by The Economic Times and awarded the Women Super Achiever Award at Femina’s 5th World Women Leadership Congress & Awards. Ranked #1 on IMPACT's 50 Most Influential Women in Media, Marketing and Advertising 2017, she was also recognized among business leaders to watch in Fortune India’s 40 Under 40 List as well as GQ’s 50 Most Influential Young Indians List and World Marketing Congress’s 50 Most Influential Digital Marketing Leaders Listing in 2017. She was also featured as one of the Top 10 Young Business Women of 2016 by CNBC-TV18 at the Young Turks Summit, and declared as the #1 Digital Influencer in the world on SERMO's Digital Influencer Index 2016. Malini is a regular industry panelist and moderator, she was the keynote speaker at the Babson College Indian Symposium, and at Ficci Flow chapters of Amritsar, Jaipur, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad.

    Within a few years of blogging, The Huffington Post and Forbes named Malini as India’s most famous Digital Influencer, and since then Malini has been profiled by various international media outlets including BBC World (UK), Reuters, CNN (USA), DW (Germany), TV5 (France) and The Globe & Mail (Canada), and is a regular fixture in local publications such as Vogue India, Elle India, Grazia India, Hello! India, India Today, The Economic Times, Business Standard, NDTV Profit, and on CNBC's Young Turks as a fast-growing media start-up to watch.

    Malini released her first book, To the Moon: How I Blogged My Way To Bollywood with reputed publishing house HarperCollins in January 2018, which peaked at #3 Non-Fiction (and #8 overall) on the India Top 10 Bestseller List.

    Malini’s passion and efforts are now spent using her reach and influencer to launch social initiatives that facilitate cultural change. Most prominent of these is her invite-only & Facebook group exclusively for women called ‘Malini’s Girl Tribe’, a supportive community of 25,000 women, as well as her Positive Masculinity community, a co-ed group for all to discuss the way towards a more socially progressive and world. By creating safe spaces for women, a myriad of topics and modern issues are discussed openly every day. Women are able to support each other, help each other, and have meaningful connections every day. The Girl Tribe also gave rise to a web-series featuring such distinguished guests as Rega Jha, Adhuna Bhabani, Mallika Dua, Sonali Bendre Behl, Anjali Lama, Trisha Shetty, and Dia Mirza, covering topics ranging from oppressive beauty standards and gender expectations to raising compassionate children, fighting sexual abuse, and more.