The results of some researches have shown the incidence of psychological disorders (anxiety, depression, etc.) on the work performance of the individual and consequently on the company financial statements; for example, a study carried out by the National Instituteof Mental Health has shown that on average, every American worker suffering from bipolar disorders loses 65 days of work a year, compared to 27 lost by those suffering from major depression. These disorders should be accompanied by those that have assumed the role of "work-related illnesses" such as the work stress syndrome, burnout syndrome, mobbing and work dependency.
Today, working is not only considered as an activity necessary for sustenance, but it has also become a means of affirming oneself socially: one must be fast, efficient, available, always better and better prepared; what matters is the result, the productivity. All this has led to work identity prevailing to personal identity.

Job stress

Stress or General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) is defined as "a general non-specific response to any demand coming from the environment" (Seyle, 1975); it would therefore represent the normal reaction of the individual to the pressures exerted by the environment (external or internal, physical or psychic) and does not always have a negative connotation. In some cases, in fact, it can help to stimulate an individual's adaptability to the environment (in this case we talk about eustress). On the contrary, if continued over time, it generates poor performance, lack of interest in one's work, escape from responsibility, etc. (distress).

Regarding the work environment, we see that stress is the result of an interaction between organizational factors and personal factors.

According to The Job Strain Model (1), work stress would be caused above all by the combination of an excessive workload and a scarce possibility of controlling the tasks to be performed. Therefore, even in presence of a heavy workload, a worker may not feel stressed if he feels he can handle this load in the most appropriate manner.

The Effort-rewards Imbalance Model (2) assumes that work stress is found in  presence of a high commitment by the worker associated with a poor reward; which can be understood both as financial gain, as social approval, job stability and career opportunities.

According to the European Commission, Directorate-General for Employment and Social Affairs the most common factors that can determine stress related to work are:

• Excessive or insufficient amount of work to be performed.
• Insufficient time to complete the job satisfactorily for both others and for themselves.
• Lack of a clear description of the work to be performed or a hierarchical line.
• Insufficient reward, not proportional to the service.
• Impossibility of expressing complaints.
• Heavy responsibilities not accompanied by adequate authority or decision-making power.
• Lack of collaboration and support from superiors, colleagues or subordinates.
• Inability to effectively express talents or personal skills
• Job insecurity, uncertainty of the position occupied.
• Unpleasant working conditions or dangerous work.
• Possibility that a small mistake or inattention could have serious consequences.

In the body of a person subjected to stress, it was observed that changes in the balance of the endocrine and nervous systems involve a series of hormones such as, for example cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline: these changes have a strong impact on the entire cardiovascular system.

Stress also lowers the efficiency of the immune system and increases the likelihood of gastrointestinal disorders, thyroid diseases, diabetes and increases the risk of developing tumors.

A manifestation of the professional hardship affecting work efficiency is represented by the "Burnout" syndrome, or "Emotional exhaustion syndrome"; which represents a pathologized reaction to work stress and indicates a state of job dissatisfaction, in physical and psychological terms, due to the failure to achieve a set goal. It manifests itself with apathy, frustration, lack of goals and low self-esteem, which is followed by a strong sense of guilt due to the inability to complete one's duties. Burnout manifests itself with frequent and persistent migraines, gastrointestinal disorders, insomnia, excessive tiredness; and with a series of symptoms, ranging from frequent flu to lower back pain, tachycardia and nausea. From a psychological point of view, it manifests with attitudes such as fickleness, inclination to isolation, low self-esteem, feelings of guilt, anger and resentment, high resistance to going to work every day, indifference, negativism, isolation, up to paranoia, exhaustion, depression and a propensity to use drugs, alcohol or overuse medicines. In severe cases, depressive states can lead to mental illness and suicidal thoughts. Moreover, those affected are incapable of asking for help, and this highlights the lack of social feedback. The most common stress factors at work include mobbing, a psychological violence at work (not necessarily sexual) caused by the deterioration of interpersonal relationships and organizational anomalies; a kind of conflicting communication in the workplace, which takes place between colleagues or between superiors and employees, in which the attacked person is placed in a condition of weakness and repeatedly attacked explicitly or implicitly for a prolonged period of time for the precise purpose to send him/her away from the workplace. The attacks aim to affect the ability to be autonomous and proactive of the victims and to make them feel insecure: in a short time self-esteem falters and doubts arise about the validity of their actions. In addition to affecting work performance, the consequences of mobbing could even lead to suicide in about 20% of cases.

A further cause of work stress is the work dependency that to this day is still an undervalued and little recognized phenomenon in the field of psychological distress with the consequence of a diagnosis defined at a late stage usually following heart attacks or other serious diseases.

 The competitive worker is the most affected, having a marked aptitude for supremacy and self-assertion; together with the ambitious and success-oriented worker, tireless, directed towards models of perfection and large responsibilities.

Those who are predisposed to this dependence usually consider work as the only opportunity to experience social interactions that have become precarious due to daily commitments: the hours dedicated to overtime can be a way to avoid loneliness or the absence of a family unit. There are those who dedicate themselves body and soul to work to escape from a sentimental or family hardship or those who nourish their self-esteem only through confirmations and social recognition or even those who let themselves be subject to work overload for a need for self-punishment. Those who suffer from this addiction, take their work on holiday or on weekends, never miss out of necessity or illness, can have withdrawal symptoms, experience feelings of emptiness and nervousness when away from work, can be afraid to lose their job, experience nightmares about mistakes or failures and often are incapable of carving out time for leisure and entertainment; automatically, despite the fact that the work occupies the entire life of these individuals, their yield at work is rather low.

Let's analyze what are the ways to control and resolve work stress and consequently increase one's working efficiency.

• Be aware of the factors that create stress, evaluating the sources and when  possible  intervene urgently.
• Evaluate your own degree of involvement at work, being aware that the workplace must not replace the family unit and that it is dangerous to invest too much from an emotional point of view.
• Change the cognitive assessment of the environment, to recognize the difference between things that can be controlled and those that cannot be controlled. It is necessary to ask ourselves how we are living the stress situation and if there are alternative ways of dealing with it (in this situation it is possible to rely on a friend, a psychologist, a partner).
• To review the scale of values, giving due weight to what exists outside of work such as family, friends and other interests. Areas in which satisfactions can compensate for work-related stress.
• Plan activities, learn to delegate everything that can be delegated and to distinguish between important and less urgent things.
• Perform Hatha Yoga Techniques, relaxation and concentration techniques and meditation: applying this discipline, in fact, acts synergistically on the various aspects that are "affected" by stress, leading to the reduction and elimination of the use of medicines.
• The postures allow you to restore physical balance by eliminating the various somatic disorders such as headaches, gastrointestinal disorders, lumbar pain and also restore hormonal balance.
• The relaxation techniques allow a rapid recovery of energies and the acquisition of a state of total relaxation both physical and mental.
• The concentration and meditation techniques allow to amplify mental focus, concentration, attention and memory; in addition to facilitating the elimination of states of irritability, resentment and guilt.
• In this regard, I was able to note that performing yoga sessions at the workplace (e.g. during the lunch break or at the end of the work shift) in addition to facilitating an individual process of recovery and harmonization of energies, it allows to create among the participants (colleagues) new ways of interaction and sharing that can lead to overcoming some unpleasant work dynamics.
• Taking breaks during the day, trying to regain contact with the inner self: taking a walk in the nature can be very regenerating and allow you to return to work with renewed energy and lucidity. In addition, constant physical exercise frees endogenous endorphins, a sort of "Natural drug" that helps us feel better, and helps us prevent both cardiovascular and musculoskeletal damage due to work stress
• Take care of ourselves and our body: take care of the diet and provide adequate periods of rest.
• Focus the attention also on other activities (volunteering groups, cultural associations ...) that allow for new gratifications and satisfactions.
• Think positive: take note of job achievements and learn to reward yourself. It is important to learn to set yourself short-term goals and to feel satisfied when they are reached. Trying not to consider criticism as a personal attack but as an opportunity for growth.
• Cultivate humor, both about yourself and about the situations to be faced.