Stress in the academic workplace

This week, I had the opportunity to participate in a workshop organized by my department. The focus was on a topic that resonates with many of us - stress in the academic workplace.

We all experience stress, it’s a universal part of life. But what’s important is to understand our triggers and learn how to balance our work and rest periods. I believe that I know my stress triggers and, in theory, I know what helps me relieve stress.

Personally, I’ve found that stepping out of my workplace, spending time outdoors, getting some fresh air, and most importantly, seeking the perspective of my loved ones on topics that stress me out, helps me relieve stress. However, I’ve come to realize that I’m not always in the right mindset to follow these strategies- I get worse at it the more stressed I am. This is an area I definitely need to work on.

The workshop highlighted that long-term stress can lead to a decrease in productivity. This fact hit home for me. But what motivated me most to participate was the opportunity to learn how to recognize stress signals in others, especially within my group. My goal is to foster a happy, thriving, well-working, and well-rested team. To achieve this, I want to find ways to communicate effective stress relief strategies and aim to set a better example, but also I want to be able to identify first signals of stress in others.

I’d love to hear from you all - what stresses you and how do you cope with it? Let’s open up the conversation and learn from each other.