6. maj 2021
By Eva Hertz, Founder of Center for Mental Robusthed
It’s been a hard day’s night (and a bit more) but I am proud to announce that our efforts have been finalized in the book “Positive Psychology in Practice” which is now available on Kindle.
I have written chapter 10 “Resilience Training as a Buffer against Work Related Stress” with the aim of illustrating how positive psychological interventions can serve as a method of stress prevention by building skills that enhance resilience in individuals, which in return also has an impact on the organization. Based on results from a pilot study with the aim of building resilience in Danish combat soldiers and improve their ability to cope with challenges related to both deployment in Afghanistan (work related stressors) and subsequent readjustment to everyday life in Denmark (personal life stressors), we will discuss the implications of these findings for prevention of stress in civilian workplaces.
And this is important because, growing number of people experience work related stress, leading to depression and anxiety disorders. Typical stressors at work are work load and work pace, organizational changes, lack of control, unclear performance evaluation systems, poor relationships with colleagues, bullying, challenged work/life balance, according to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. In many professions, the boundaries between work and home are no longer realistic nor relevant, and work can be done from home during evenings and weekends. The increasing complexity of our work life with all the stressors mentioned above, is mixed with stressors in our personal lives, e.g. worries concerning bringing up children, financial difficulties or old parents needing care. This underlines the importance of a focus on prevention of mental health issues.