Certain personality types are more prone to stress than others. This week I took several personality tests to gauge my personality and personal stress levels. The first test revealed that I have Type A personality, which did not come as a surprise to me. I am very ambitious and have a packed and rigid schedule with lots of pressure on myself to do well. Next, there were two stress tests that I took, one revealed me to be “Very Stressed” and the other said with a stress level between 250-300 meaning I had a 50:50 chance of accident or illness. None of these results are particularly surprising to me. I am a full time college student who is preparing to move once in the summer for a job and once in the fall. I also work four jobs, a nannying job with a rebellious teen, two desk jobs where I frequently multitask other work or have to call out due to a chronic pain disorder, and my summer job which comes with increased responsibility compared to past summers. On top of all of this I had two grandparents and one childhood family friend pass away in the last year with two family members experiencing worsening health. Overall, I find that my actual jobs are less the cause of my stress and it’s more due to an accumulation of all of the stressors in my life. Once this fall hits I plan on scaling back on lots of work/school responsibilities and prioritizing more time for hobbies and loved ones. I am pretty self aware and knew that I was signing myself up for a few years of stress at the cost of it having long term benefits. Some weeks this responsibility weighs on me more than others, and causes my performance at work to be weaker. This is reflective of things that all employees bring to the workplace, and there are things employers are doing to provide benefits to their employees so they can show up as their best self.
The company Essentia is a great example of how businesses are tackling this issue. Since the Covid-19 pandemic they have been implementing changes to prevent employee burnout which improves productivity and general wellbeing. There are wellness programs, self-care programs, and compassionate leadership training programs. In addition to these, there are initiatives to make individuals aware of these resources. They also offer flexible work arrangements and work to de-stigmatize utilizing all of the programs listed above. They stress that these are not one time changes, and the company needs to avoid getting complacent to make long-term changes.
Looking back at my own stress levels, the things that have made the biggest impact are flexible work hours, care from employers, and a personal support system. Knowing that I can work from home, or take sick leave, makes sure that I can take the time I need to perform well at work the days I am there. Additionally, having bosses that check in with me and are genuinely invested in how I am doing makes me feel cared for and want to do my best at work and communicate well. Lastly, having access to affordable healthcare has allowed me to seek counseling which does greatly lower my stress levels.
Source: https://www.newsweek.com/these-companies-combat-burnout-prioritizing-mental-wellbeing-1895688