Most of us live our daily lives with a certain amount of stress. Data shows that year by year there is an increase in people feeling burnt out. The majority of reasons that people visit their doctor are stress related – either caused, or exacerbated by stress. And in the US, workplace stress is the 5th biggest cause of death, with 25% of people identifying work as the number 1 cause of stress in their lives.
Unfortunately all of this is exacerbated for Project Managers working in the Built environment. In the construction industry, 62% of workers consider their job stressful (compared to 57% as an average for all other industries combined), with 74% of employees feeling that their employers do not recognise the early signs of mental health issues. Add to this research by the Harvard Business Review showing that those working across silos (as Project Managers always do) face higher levels of cognitive and emotional demands and therefore burnout.
It is important to remember that stress is not homogenous. There are different types of stress that affect us differently. These can broadly be broken into the following 3 categories
- Acute stress – short term stress that is often immediate & intense but typically resolves once a stressful event is over
- Episodic stress – frequent episodes of acute stress that often stem from the same trigger or repeated occurrences / exposure to stressful stimuli
- Chronic stress – long term stress resulting from persistent & prolonged stressors or situations. Chronic stress occurs when stress is continuous & can feel inescapable
Now remember, a certain level of stress is good (and essential!) for us. Acute stress is necessary for us to survive life threatening situations. It helps provide the response that we need to survive a near miss car accident or avoid injury. A certain amount of acute stress can be motivational. The chemicals that our bodies release when we experience acute stress for example can help us win an argument, or meet a deadline. So it is important to remember that when we talk about stress in current day terms, we tend to be referring to episodic or chronic stress which negatively affect our overall health or wellbeing.
So what are some stress management techniques that us busy Project Managers can easily apply that will help us overcome or avoid episodic and chronic stress?
- Education, empowerment & discussionThe first way to manage stress on a collective level is to continue bringing it into the common vernacular. Destigmatise talking about stress so that we can share the burden amongst us rather than feeling like we have to cope alone. Learn about how your brain works & equip yourself with tools that can help you manage your stress
- Understand that your body is trying to protect youBelieve it or not, stress is actually a primal inbuilt system designed to protect us. Stress prompts us into the fight or flight response & releases chemicals designed to help us survive these situations. The problem is that even modern day stressors (such as an annoying email or cross boss) prompts the same chemical reaction which tips us into survival mode.
- Identify & avoid stressorsAn obvious one, but understanding the cause of your stress can be an important step to understanding what is causing it and therefore how you can avoid it. Now obviously some stressors are unavoidable, but often we can limit or reduce our exposure. Things like turning off notifications for non-essential apps & turning off emails in the evenings/weekends can be great ways to reduce or eliminate our exposure to stressors.
- Remember that you can choose your responseWhen we are triggered into stress, we often react immediately and without thinking. But remember, you might not be in control of the stressor, but can you be in control of your response. Next time you experience a stress trigger, try pausing, taking a few deep breaths & then deciding how best to respond to achieve the outcome that you want.
- Identify the type of stress & seek appropriate helpSometimes it can be useful to identify what type of stress you are experiencing. Knowing that you have just experienced some acute stress that has helped you achieve a deadline, for example, can help you appreciate what your body has just experienced. And knowing how to identify when we are experiencing episodic or chronic stress can help us manage our stress better & seek appropriate help sooner.
- Address the symptomsThere are many ways that you can address the symptoms of stress. Meditation, journaling, getting into nature, exercising, socialising, having a tech detox. All these are great ways for managing your stress, but it is always better is you can tackle the cause of stress, rather than the symptoms.
Stress is something that most of us live with. And for good reason for a certain amount of stress literally helps us survive. But in today’s day & age we often encounter modern day stressors that cause the same chemical response. Try the tips in this article to manage your stress better.