Stress management

There are many potential ‘stressors' or pressure points in your life as a researcher, including:

• too much work
• impending deadlines
• unanticipated changes in procedures and practices
• conflict with colleagues
• approaching the end of a contract
• poor work/life balance
• not being able to say ‘no'.

However, it is not these pressures in themselves that cause the stress; it is your response to them. The good news is that you can learn to control how you respond to pressure!

Pressure can cause a positive or negative reaction.

Positive

• You rise to the challenge
• You work more effectively
• It can give you a ‘high'.

Negative

• You give up
• You work less efficiently
• You seek comfort in food, alcohol or cigarettes!

Having a negative reaction to pressure over a prolonged period can cause stress.

How do I know if I'm experiencing stress?

Common signs of stress include:

• a ‘churning' stomach, ‘butterflies'
• difficulty in sleeping
• always feeling tired
• a racing heartbeat
• tightness across the chest
• depression, a feeling of hopelessness
• tearfulness.

This stress checklist (PDF) developed by Ball State University, Indiana, might help you to find out if you are suffering from stress.

Tips for reducing stress

• Try to minimise negative thoughts. Explain your situation to other people and see how they view it. Different perspectives may help you view the situation more positively
• Argue with the little voice in your head. Give yourself a ‘pep' talk
• Focus on the things you have control over, rather than the things that you don't
• Talk to other people about how they view the situation - make sure that your response is based on an awareness of all of the facts
• Learn to manage your time more effectively
• Communicate your views and feelings - other people may be able to help you change the situation
• Learn to say no
• Stop trying to be a perfectionist - sometimes ‘good enough is good enough'
• Exercise, eat a healthy, balanced diet and find time to switch off and relax
• Call on your friends and colleagues for help and support
• Smile! It may be hard sometimes but research shows that if we begin to smile, we do start to feel better.

Are you creating stress for others?

We can also try and ensure that our own behaviour does not cause stress for our work colleagues.  Examples of behaviour that may create stress are:

• not meeting deadlines, which then causes time pressure for colleagues
• not sharing important information
• working late and expecting others to do the same
• being overly noisy or interrupting the work of others.

The employer's role

Under UK law, employers have a legal duty of care to ensure that their employees are not harmed by work-related stress, including that created by bullying and harassing behaviour. See Rights and responsibilities for further information.