On an intellectual level, many of us realize that living with stress is unhealthy. At the same time, there seems to be an endless list of justifications for why our work related stress is something to avoid dealing with. We tell ourselves that we work better under pressure, that we need our stress to motivate us for achievement, or that its just the nature of our particular job. These thoughts persist because they are seemingly effective for us in the short term. Stress avoidance thoughts keep us showing up for work in the morning, allow us to feel an elevated sense of accomplishment when completing a task, and keep us from having to experience the emotions that come with taking a deeper look at our situation. Unfortunately, we can’t outrun our stress by achieving or keeping ourselves distracted from our stressors. In the long term, our stress can become harmful to our physical and mental health.
Empirical evidence shows that stress avoidance puts us at risk for future illness. Research has shown that high stress employment comes with serious health risks. Something of note in the research is the prevalence of risk in professions with an ingrained culture of minimization. Unfortunately, ignoring, avoiding, and denying our feelings are not sustainable solutions. While we may increase our ability to just “get through the day” or “get the job done” we keep our pain alive and allow it to fester deep within our minds and bodies. So what is the answer to work related stress? I am not suggesting that we all have to quit our jobs and make significant career changes. A simpler and more practical solution can be found in the implementation of effective stress reduction strategies. Stress reduction therapies have been shown to have a significant positive impact on our physical health. Approaches that incorporate Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) with psychotherapy have been shown to be especially helpful.
MMHW strongly encourages anyone who hopes to reduce their current level of stress to seek a mental health professional with specialized training in mindfulness-based approaches. With mindfulness practice, we can slow things down to stay more present, gently focused, and aware so we can perform at a high level without putting our health at risk.
