Schaumburg Live Work & Play

work Roosevelt University’s Dr. Jonathan C. Smith highlights some potential causes and ways to cope STRESSED? Work got you by jean murphy N one of us are strangers to stress. Whether it’s a demanding boss or a job that revolves around tight deadlines, stress is everywhere. Unfortunately, we can’t avoid it. As long as instances of stress come and go and are relatively short-lived, stress isn’t a big deal, says Dr. Jonathan C. Smith, founder and director of The Stress Institute at Roosevelt University in Schaumburg and Chicago. Stress can even sometimes work to our advantage, says Smith, by challenging us to achieve things we never expected to achieve. But when stress becomes a daily occurrence, it can have the reverse effect - grinding away at our nerves and potentially leading to serious health problems. In fact, doctors say stress can actually cause our body chemistry to change, causing the nervous system to release hormones that increase our pulse and respiration rates, tense muscles and heighten senses. And if the body is forced to exist in this constant state of defensiveness, it begins to wear down our biological systems. Heart disease, depression, ulcers, cancer and impaired immunity are all known causes of too much stress. PoTENTial CauSES When you ask people what causes them the most stress, more times than not, work is at the top of their list. Smith, who has studied stress for years, believes work-related stress triggers generally fall into six categories. They are highlighted below. How the job is designed – Job structure can be a major source of stress. Do you have too much work? Do you not get enough breaks? Are your hours too long and your deadlines too short? Do you lack control over what you are doing day-to-day? The management style of the boss – Is your boss’ style democratic or autocratic? Is the communication within the office good or bad? Are you encouraged to participate in the decision making or are edicts simply handed down? Interpersonal relationships – Do you have to deal with difficult people? Is the environment such that you can lean on each other with worries Page 14 schaumburg live • work • play

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Schaumburg Live Work & Play

Schaumber Live Work & Play Contents Hidden Treasures Slice of Life Handling Work Life Featured Business Surviving United Flight 232 Succulent Flavors Out & About Around Town Hot Spot! Dining Out

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.