工作压力是什么

Published by BUPA's Health Information Team

May 2004

In the UK it is estimated that work-related stress is responsible for six million days of sick leave a year, with stress being linked to many minor and major illnesses.

For most people, work is a significant and meaningful feature of life with the majority of us spending around 25% of our adult lives working. While work can provide us with structure, purpose, satisfaction, self-esteem and spending power, the workplace can also be a setting of stress and worry. 对大部分人来说，工作是生活中重要且有意义的部分。我们大部分人在成年期把25%的时间放在工作上。一方面，工作能为我们提供住宿、目标、满足、自尊以及购买力，而另一方面，职场也同样是压力和焦虑的始发地。

What is work-related stress?

什么是工作精神压力？

Everyone is under some pressure in the workplace. Some external pressures can be a positive factor, helping us to be more productive. Some people actually thrive under short-term added pressure, and our bodies are designed to meet these short-term demands. Hormones including adrenaline are released to prepare us for a "fight or flight" response to demanding situations. However, excessive and prolonged stress can take its toll, producing a range of physical and emotional health problems which have come to be grouped as "work-related stress".

There is no single cause of work-related stress. While stress can be triggered by sudden, unexpected pressures, it is often the result of a combination of stressful factors which accumulate over time. Some people can become so used to the symptoms of excessive stress that it goes unnoticed to their detriment. Most work-related stress is related to management of work, relationships at work, organisational set-up and whether you feel you have power and control in your work.

The experience of stress is different for every person. Some people are affected more than others, so what is stressful for one person may not be stressful for another. It can depend on your personality type and on how you have learned to respond to pressure.