One night Tahira, a school teacher and sole breadwinner for her family, woke up with a strange sensation in her body — she felt as if she was drowning. This continued off and on for months. She also battled with a breathing problem. When physical examination revealed nothing, doctors referred her to a psychiatrist dubbing her complaints as “functional”. After initial reluctance, but finding no relief, she visited a psychiatrist who had a shocking revelation for her: she was suffering from severe stress. Her body seemed to shut down completely from exhaustion and the mental anguish reflected itself in the form of physical pains. The numbness that she felt during sleep was her body’s reaction to the years-long stress.

“Workplace-related stress affects the body,” explains Dr Arsalan Ahmad, a psychiatrist in Islamabad. “Apparently, people keep on with their daily work routine without realising that work pressure and the rush to meet deadlines are affecting them in the worst possible way. They get alarmed when their bodies begin to react to the change in state of mind. Fight-or-flight strategy reveals that the body has its own reaction to constant pressure, strain and stress.”

“Stress is not just a mind-related disorder, it manifests itself in the form of physiological changes,” says Ahmad, “Initially, a person experiences low energy and headaches, but if these minor signs are not addressed they may culminate in chronic general body ache, chest pains with rapid heartbeat, nausea, stomach ailments and insomnia.”

When you’re stretched too thin at work, pause and prioritise your mental health

At times, when a person is incapable of realising the duress they suffer, the people who surround the victim need to show perception and compassion before it’s too late. When a peer or subordinate is stretched too thin on many fronts at the office, it is not to be taken lightly as you cannot judge whether the person can cope or will break.

Sarwat Gul worked at a multinational company at a senior post. “The company refused to grant me maternity leave,” she says, “although it was there in black and white in my contract.”

On the pretext of deadlines and work load, her higher-ups did not allow Gul to go on leave until they had an emergency on their hands. “One day, while in office, I had to be taken to the hospital in a critical condition,” says Gul. “Due to complications, the baby had to be aborted to save my life. The doctors said extreme work pressure and stress led to the disaster.”

But this was not all. To add insult to injury, the management fired Gul because her case could have blemished the name of the organisation.

CAUSE AND EFFECT

Rubina Talat, a career counsellor explains the vicious cycle of stress caused by responsibilities at the office.

“Stress leads to more stress. Stemming from unrealistic deadlines, work pressure and unnatural demands and unachievable expectations, workplace stress can play havoc with the lives of the victims,” says Talat. “It should not be taken lightly, neither by the sufferers nor the employers or administrators who [tend to] put the entire blame on the employee.”

“The management does not realise that incessantly mounting pressure on employees can lead them to nervous collapse,” says Dr Tayyab Ahmad, a psychiatrist at Poly Clinic, Islamabad. “This could lead to permanent depression.”

There is also an overlooked instigator at play. “It often happens that those who faced stress during their careers end up becoming the perpetrators,” say Laiba Qureshi, Assistant Professor of Psychology, “The administration treat their subordinates on an inhuman level; they are myopic, lack the human touch in their dealings and they often lack empathy. This can certainly cause stress, dissatisfaction and frustration [among their subordinates] leading to chronic depression.”

People continue to absorb all sorts of pressures but there comes a time when they decide enough is enough. Naeem Janjua, a former lecturer in Lahore, says his breaking point came when one day the principal called after 10pm and asked him to come back to the university. “I had finished my work and knew I could simply have said no but instead I decided to tender my resignation,” says Janjua. “The work pressure was driving me nuts and I could feel the physical symptoms of this mental torment. I could hear the phone ringing even if it weren’t in reality; I could hear people screaming at me; I imagined things that did not happen in reality. I resigned in order to safeguard my mental health.”

Tasneem Saleha, a lecturer at a public college, could not understand her colleagues. They all seemed to make it a point to ridicule her, jibe her and even yell at her. “I was young and naïve and could not understand the reason,” she says. Struck by low self-esteem and tired of constant victimisation and pressure, she took solace in eating. Although emotional eating is one of the body’s instinctive way to cope with depression or stress — we have all heard of ‘stress eating’ or ‘emotional eating’ — it is not the most beneficial mechanism. In Saleha’s case, the constant tension that afflicted her eventually led to obesity.

CHOOSE COPING MECHANISMS CAREFULLY

“It is never easy to adopt coping strategies,” says Dr Ahmad. “The victims must learn to draw boundaries. The more they tolerate bullying and harassment, the more they could be shattered. It is all in their hands. Be social, be sympathetic and learn to confide in others. If workplace stress is to be avoided, interactive strategies about opening up should be adopted.”

“Post traumatic stress syndrome is very important in this regard,” suggests Qureshi. “In case of events such as the loss of a child, health problems or trauma at the workplace, the body’s mechanism takes long to forget. The victims can recede into oblivion, face localised amnesia and insomnia. Without professional help such symptoms are difficult to uproot.”

A young manager at a local bank, Rania Maqbool shares a story similar to Saleha and Janjua. At her office she had been facing stressful deadlines, dealing with sarcastic colleagues and inhuman treatment by overbearing bosses, including verbal abuse, ridicule and fault finding. First she began to suffer from mild headaches and nausea but it later led to chronic depression. “Doctors told me to leave my job or to be ready to be a psychopath for the rest of my life. I chose my life and it has not been easy,” says Maqbool.

Sadistic administrators can transform the personalities of the workers.

“[Those who act as] stressors may be suffering from personality disorders themselves, such as paranoia, delusions of grandeur, narcissism, etc, and may lack social interaction, which makes them delusional and inhuman, says Dr Ahmad. “They unknowingly tread on a dangerous path of estranging their teams. [This behaviour] can serve as a double-edged sword.”

An empathetic and rational approach can be effective in warding off depression emanating from stress. “Stress can also be eliminated by using stress-resistant nutrients,” explains Bina Aliya, an Islamabad-based dietician. “Food should be taken in small quantity, at intervals, so that the sugar level is balanced. Large intake of sugar should be avoided and minimum carbohydrates should be included in your diet in order to ward off stress. Sometimes, food can bring a lot of instability in mood. Frequent mood swings can be avoided by limiting your caffeine consumption and foods with high levels of chemical preservatives because they can cause temporary changes in mood. On the other hand, Omega-3 should be added to your diet.” Studies suggest Omega-3 fatty acids, which are plentiful in certain fish oils, can help smooth out mood swings and lower depression. Increasing Omega-3 levels also effects serotonin levels directly.   

According to Ahmad, whereas you can look after yourself and be cautious in avoiding stress triggers, you also need to keep the bigger picture in mind. “Two things should be kept in mind while dealing with workplace stress,” says Dr Ahmad. “Do not try to control the uncontrollable and do not try to placate everyone. The bullies should be avoided and countered. No one is allowed to infringe the boundaries you have created.”

Though stress at the workplace is not always unhealthy — extreme situations can also bring out the best in workers — yet, sometimes, the harassers and ‘stressors’ should be admonished. No matter how powerful, manipulative or strong a person is, they cannot be allowed to lower your self-esteem. Boundaries are a requisite at the workplace and so is the need for respect.

The writer is an associate professor and a freelance contributor

Published in Dawn, EOS, March 25th, 2018