Stress Awareness Day – a must for Corporate

Dr. Priya Kalyanasundaram

Professor, Sankara Institute of Management Science

           Stress it is the body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. When you feel threatened, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, which rouse the body for emergency action. Today workforce are experiencing high level of stress due to  long working hours, workload, tight deadlines, high targets, type of work,  pressure to perform, etc,. This leads to fatigue, irritability, poor communication, and quality problems/errors. Due to this they may feel frustrated or “burned out” when they are having problems with peers or customers. It can be a real killer, both in the workplace and in our day life. When we are faced with a challenge, or a threat to our well-being, the body experiences stress. According to the study conducted by WHO, it has been estimated that 57 million people are affected by depression. ISMA Survey published on 1^st November 2017 has  revealed that 94% of people experience work-related stress but only 32% of them feel that they can speak to their manager about it. Stress levels for women employees are higher, particularly in India, where they are managing both home and office equally. Work-related issues contribute more to people’s stress levels than difficulties regarding relationships, health and finances combined. The death of Vineet Whig, former COO of South Asia division of Encyclopedia Britannica, who fell down from the ventilation shaft from the 19th floor of a building early this year, sent alarm bells ringing in many corporate offices. They need to conduct Stress Awareness day to make them aware of the stress in our lives and how it affects the health.

History of Stress Awareness Day

Stress Awareness Day was established by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA) to help give information on stress, and strategies on how to address it for both companies and individuals. This organization is focusing on helping employers by providing comprehensive guidelines for establishing a program within their organization, and individuals by looking after their health and well-being on a day to day basis. It is an opportunity to start looking after yourself and your life, and to break down the individual stressors in your life. Failure to deal with stress can lead to serious health problems, including high blood pressure, heart diseases, and a decline in your immune system. Once you start experiencing these symptoms they can landslide into each other, resulting in growing sickness, and by extension, more stress. It’s truly a self-feeding problem, and a cycle that is necessary to control to enjoy our lives.

How to Celebrate Stress Awareness Day

It can be celebrated by organising meditation and yoga sessions, creating a culture that promotes stress management, managing the mindset that says I don’t have time to manage stress. Managing your stress while it’s happening, Take time to examine your life and find out where all the stressors lie and start looking into taking steps to remove them or find ways to mitigate them. Many corporate are trying to break the pattern by bringing in yoga experts and organizing activities they are also ensuring that canteen serve healthy and hygienic food for the employees. Stress can be a killer, don’t let it take one more day from your life, act now and start removing stress from your life.