As a young professional, Zohra often feels cluttered with overwhelming thoughts at work. While she aspires to become one of the best performers in the organisation, the constant worrying about deadlines, deliverables and E.O.D. updates, she somehow drifts away into an endless loop of struggle and worry. As such, it ultimately affects her overall productivity at work. Consequently, she feels her dreams are crumbling before her eyes, and she can do nothing about it.

In this scenario, Zohra is dealing with stress. Regression possesses everyone who welcomes it, regardless of industry, designation and even background. It comes with superficial sighs and occasional existential crises but always lands on decreased motivation and willpower. While stress itself cannot be averted, it can be dealt with. And when doing so, the first step Zohra needs to take is to identify where she stands and take action, one step at a time.

Realising that Stress is universal
Stress is a constant companion of any activity. The severity is what decides the consequences. Whether making a simple pitch deck for internal use or preparing year-end reports, stress attaches itself to every action. A perceived threat is what triggers a physiologic reaction called stress. It is further carried on by chemicals and hormones flooding your body. It can assist you in responding to a specific issue, but too much of it can harm your health and, ultimately, your work.

Dealing with Stress
Time management: Feeling overburdened by a never-ending to-do list is one of the significant causes of stress at work. Set realistic deadlines, prioritise work, and divide larger projects into more manageable chunks. To keep organised, use tools like calendars and to-do lists. That would mean avoiding meaningless work attachments and the urge to follow the narrative of late-going employees being more likely to get a promotion.

Clear Communication: Open communication is essential for reducing stress. Communicate your issues to coworkers and superiors, divide your responsibilities, and establish boundaries. Unnecessary pressure can be decreased, and misconceptions can be avoided with effective communication.

We often miss out on chances because we never ask for them. The chances of someone’s supervisor turning into the Loch Ness Monster just because they asked for an extension, lower work pressure or even just the opportunity to share challenges is meagre. But one must ensure that the ordeal has been communicated clearly.

Healthy Worklife: It is essential to ensure a healthy work-life within the organisation to navigate potential stress triggers potentially. This would mean avoiding any extra drama within the organisation, having an open mind with clear objectives and understanding the key performance metrics. Zohra would need to know what matters and what doesn’t to ensure she does not get overwhelmed.

Having a philosophy and a vision: Working without an idea is like sowing a seed without knowing the fruit. Would you want it to happen that you expect an orange tree but end up with pears instead? Likewise, having a sense of purpose, direction, and clear vision considerably lowers workplace stress. Your responsibilities and problems are more critical when you envision your aims and aspirations inside the organisation. This sense of direction aids in identifying your ultimate purpose.

As such, if we think about Zohra, she needs to sit with herself and think about her vision of where she wants to land herself. By doing so, she would understand whether her stress is worth it.

The Art of Refusing and Prioritizing: While accepting duties is necessary, it’s also crucial to understand your limitations. Refuse things that you can only complete with jeopardising your well-being. There are often instances that lead us into doing work with little fruition. In such a scenario, it is required to realise that if there is anything or anyone who does not promise the narrative of your vision to you, it is better to say no and possibly bring logic to the table.

Resilience is a Process:

Resilience does not emerge suddenly; instead, it develops gradually over time. Resilience is cultivated through experiences, difficulties, and personal development, just as a tree’s roots become stronger over time to withstand storms. Accepting setbacks as opportunities to grow and adapt is critical to developing resilience. This process begins with acknowledging challenges and cultivating a positive outlook to overcome them. People build their ability to control their emotions, deal with stress, and maintain hope as they overcome challenges. Each experience makes it easier for them to bounce back and continue.

In addition, resilience develops due to interacting with others and looking for assistance. People learn new perspectives and coping mechanisms as they share their experiences. Their interconnectedness strengthens their ability to endure and prosper in adversity. Resilience develops into a mindset that views setbacks as opportunities for growth over time. This process has no set timeline; it is a continuous journey characterised by successes, failures, and ongoing learning. Through this journey, people learn how to withstand life’s storms and come out stronger and more equipped to handle challenges in the future.

The Narrative of Stress

Despite being frequently viewed as harmful, stress can be a great teacher for employees. It catalyses development and self-discovery, encouraging people to explore talents and qualities they might not have otherwise. Stress teaches adaptability by requiring workers to think creatively and develop novel solutions to complicated problems.

As people gain the ability to prioritise tasks and perform well under pressure, it promotes time management. Stress fosters resilience because meeting challenges head-on strengthens the will to persevere and recover from failures. Emphasis also promotes how critical self-care and well-being are. Employees pick up healthy coping skills, learn to listen to their bodies and manage their workloads. Stress can also encourage better teamwork and communication because people ultimately can become better dealers of stress when they can deal with it and come out of it unscathed.

Zohra will surely make it out and make it big. All she has to do is master the art of stress and resilience.

Author- Mohaimenul Solaiman Nicholas