Everyone feels stress from time to time. The balance between work, family, kids, home, and all the important decisions in life is enough to cause anyone to have a bit of stress or anxiety. While a certain level of stress can be considered somewhat “normal”, and certainly manageable, stress in the workplace can have a profound impact on your mental health and job performance if not properly checked.
Impact of Stress on Mental Health
When you are stressed, your body feels the affects and reacts. Stress causes increased heart rate and blood pressure, respiration, and metabolism. Your mind also feels the effects, and initiates the “fight or flight” emotion. All of these things can impact your mental health and cause you to feel overwhelmed, out of control, or panicked. Over time, these feelings can have a profound impact on your physical and mental wellbeing.
Impact of Stress on Job Performance
As stress impacts your body and mind, your work performance will no doubt be impacted as well. Stress commonly causes employees to become overly defensive, unmotivated, and have difficulty concentrating. Stress can also impact workplace relationships, which can lead to conflict and an unhealthy work environment.
When you are stressed, you may find yourself making mistakes or being involved in accidents. Not only does this impact your job performance, but it can also impact those around you, potentially creating a hazardous work environment.
