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Carter Larson

Adam Rudebusch

English Composition IV

15 January 2021

The Road to Overcoming Occupational Stress

If you were to ask most people that have ever had a job if they had ever been stressed out because

of it, chances are they would say yes. Thousands of people experience the effects of job stress on a day to

day basis, and for some it causes, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. Job stress also can cause

physical problems, such as low energy, headaches, insomnia, and more serious issues such as high blood

pressure and cholesterol. This is an important problem that should be addressed because it seriously

affects many people that aren’t aware of the things they can do to help themselves through it. The best

way to manage occupational stress is to take matters into your own hands, set a slower pace for

everything you do, including your workload.

Slowing your physical pace during stressful times at work helps keep your mind calm and in

control. “Turn fast jerky steps into longer strides and smoother movements. It helps to keep the mind

calmer and in control” (Lloyd 4). Lloyd is an unbiased psychiatrist that is known for his works regarding

stress and mental health. Although this seems like an easy task, when you are in the heat of the moment,

this more than likely isn’t going to be the first thing crossing your mind. By taking longer and smoother

strides, you give your mind and body more time to think, which is ultimately what you need during

stressful times. Lloyd believes that this is an overlooked technique. Likewise, Lloyd explains how

putting yourself into a natural slow motion effect can help to manage stress. “To help de-stress, start to

speak slower and in more measured tones. It may sound simple, but slower, even tones will have a

calming effect to help leaders manage, cope and more clearly process challenges and determine what

action needs to take place to chart a course forward” (Llyod 4). As you can see, Lloyd restates himself
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and explains what slowing down allows your body to do, which is needed to reduce stress and continue

working at the best of your ability.

Having a manageable workload also helps to decrease occupational stress. If you have an

unbearable amount of work, it will lead to stress sooner or later. Rob Archer, a trusted psychologist

states, “it's important that these high-intensity stints don't become never-ending, for people to work well,

we have to move away from a culture of permanent high performance. For most people, demands are so

high and so unrelenting that recovery isn't built in. We're much better off having demands as a series of

sprints than one long slog that never ends."(16) Archer explains that having times of high workload can

actually be beneficial, but it is important that it doesn’t become a trend. You need to have periods of

downtime so that your body and mind can recover. Another article that covers the topic of stress in the

workplace agreed that too much work causes stress. “They simply stopped work and walked out of the

plant until management reduced the speed of the assembly line to levels which did not produce excessive

stress” (Walker 29). In this situation, workers under a great amount of pressure took a small break from

work to let their minds and bodies catch up, which is oftentimes all a person needs!

Having fluctuation in the work you do can also help reduce occupational stress. I'm sure there are

things in your life that you do every single day; you do those things so much you don’t really even need to

think about them. Rob Archer, a trusted source says, “A ‘flat-line’ working style with no variation in

intensity helps no one, workers get tired and disengaged, and their performance drops. That means tasks

take longer, extending the vicious cycle of underachievement. ‘People stop enjoying their work and

everything's a slog: the flat line leads to burnout eventually’" (16). When you do the same thing for so

long, it gets boring and you lose interest, which eventually leads to stress. Other sources agreed on this

idea. Cathy Walker reports, “Avoid monotonous, repetitive work, which activates only a limited part of

total human capabilities” (29). Both of these sources agree on the idea that “repetitive” and “monotonous”

tasks lead to workplace stress.

Communicating at a slower pace will allow you to sound less high strung and more approachable.

When you become stressed, you try to think and do things too fast, which may make you seem in distress,
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and you will not perform to your full potential. This is why it is important to slow down. “The more

frantic the pace, the more measured your movements and words should become” (Lloyd 4). If you tell

yourself to take a deep breath and slow down, you will calm down and high tensions will be relieved. Mr.

Lloyd shows why it is important to do as he says by following up and saying, “[I] [become] ‘demeaning,

sarcastic and highly volatile with people’” (3). A common side effect of being stressed is becoming

aggressive and easily annoyed, so it is important to do what you can while you can in order to maintain a

good reputation and positive work relationships.

Giving workers some control over their work lives will allow them to become less stressed at

work. “The only genuine solution to the problem of workplace stress would be to allow workers some

control over their workload at the workplace” (Walker 29). When someone tells you they need you to do

something and gives you strict instructions and times when things need to be done, it stresses you out and

makes it seem much more serious than it really is. On the other hand, when someone gives you a task

with broad instructions and deadlines, it lets you use your imagination and gives you the time to create

something that is yours, something you are proud of. This gives workers a sense of pride and control

knowing that they can do things on their own rather than being micromanaged. Archer touches on this

subject and agrees by saying that granting workers power to solve their problems at work helps keep

them engaged and excited. “Giving people the power to solve their own work problems, and helping them

to keep their long-term aspirations and values in sight: this is the future” (17). When you are able to

complete a job that allows you to think outside of the box it is easier to become and stay interested.

Therefore, The best way to manage occupational stress is simply to take matters into your own

hands and set a slower pace for everything you do in the workplace.. Unfortunately, many people work

under circumstances that don’t allow them to have control over their workload, all that the people in these

situations can do is try to slow down to allow their mind and body to catch up. Apply these tactics to your

situation and you will lay the groundwork for overcoming occupational stress, if not, chances are you will

continue to struggle with it and possibly develop other issues from stress. The next time you find yourself
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stressed at work, remind yourself to slow down and you will be on the right track to overcoming

occupational stress.
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Works Cited

Archer, Rob. “How to beat workplace stress.” New Scientist 238.1117 (2018): 16-17. Science

Reference Center 12/8/2020

Llyod, Joan. “Bring Out Your Best in Times of Stress.” Health Care Registration 29.7 (2020): 3-5.

Consumer Health Complete. 12/8/2020.

Walker, Cathy. “Workplace Stress.” Canadian Dimension 27.4 (1993): 29. Science Reference Center

12/15/2020