Professional stress is a common problem with either negative or positive impact on personality. The working environment requires a constant adaptation and readaptation as a result of interpersonal problems, conflict situations, short deadlines, etc., which is a prerequisite for its occurrence.
The influence of stress modifies some indicators of the biochemical, physiological and psychological state of a person. Changes occur in human’s behavior, quality of professional activity, cognitive functions, and stress also affects the subjective assessment of situations in everyday life, which could be as follows:
- increased fatigue;
- anxiety, nervousness;
- sleeping problems – nightmares, insomnia, being delirious, etc.;
- stomach cramps;
- rapid and rhythmic palpitation;
- trembling;
- cold sweating;
- muscle strain.
Certain situations necessarily require and impose the person to be embedded and adapted
to the surrounding reality, regardless of personal preference. Personality needs not only to obey and adapt to the dynamics of work but to develop abilities and proper orientation in itself towards development and self-perfection of qualities, skills and knowledge it has.
When psychological resistance is disturbed, some conditions are observed varying from ordinary mental discomfort to complete disorientation of psychic processes. There are so-called border diseases – pre-neuroses, behavioral deviations, various addictions (gambling, drugs), etc. The changing mental state influences the somatic sphere, which might be crucial in the genesis of some diseases, primarily among the psychosomatic circle.
The sociopsychic climate is one of the factors that can be a prerequisite and lead to a chronic stress. Although indirect, some signs give its exact characteristics. Such ones are frequent job shifts, delays and absences from work, remarks and recommendations during team meetings. The reasons for the mental atmosphere at work are the competence of the performers, their psychological compatibility upon performing the team tasks and the supervisor’s personality. The most important stimulus on which the self-esteem and the efficiency of the work of the individual and the team, and hence human health, depends, are not only the style and methods of management but also the interaction between the employees.
Not always, however, stress has a negative impact on the human body. In cases of chronic stress, is it is advisable to seek a specialist, but if stress is periodic, it may be beneficial because its impact is positive:
- enhanced intellectual ability;
- increased immunity – the body is preparing to cope with upcoming dangerous situations;
- under stress, one is more resilient and more confident in resolving problems;
- stress is a major factor in evolutionary processes since it enhances the living organisms’ ability to survive.
“The good teacher remains a student all his life.”
Chinese proverb