Coping with stress at work as an Apprentice

Any job you work, no matter what level you are at, can be stressful, but it can be sometimes especially stressful as an apprentice. It could be your first full time job, and managing hours at work can take quite a toll. Learning how to cope and deal with this stress can dramatically help your mental health.

Signs of stress at work

Before we can figure out if you’re stressed, we first need to know the signs to understand if you are.

• Irritable or angry
• Overwhelmed
• Unable to switch off from work
• Worried or a sense of dread
• Existing mental health problems getting worse
• Feeling sick
• Sudden weight loss or gain
• Sleep problems
• Fatigue
• Developing rashes

Stress affects individuals differently but those are some of the most common symptoms shown above. It can impact you both physically and mentally.

How to cope with a stressful workload

• Speak to your manager, if you can have a conversation with them and politely ask to ease the workload. Especially as an apprentice, you should not be receiving too much work that you struggle to manage.
• Perfectionism leads to unrealistic targets. It’s natural to be a perfectionist as you’re wanting to do your best at your job. Although there is a difference between wanting to do a good job and expecting perfection. If you expect perfection, you will fail, no one is perfect. As long as you try your hardest, you will have done a good job. Understanding perfectionism is a good way to ease stress.
• Take your holidays. Having a break from work, or an extended weekend is important for helping you feel less stressed. It can help you remember that work doesn’t rule your life and there is more to it than work.
• Take time to rest, 8 hours a day of work can tire you out and wear you down, understanding that resting afterward is important, try and do some exercise even if it’s just a walk. But also make sure to relax fully, whether that’s reading your favourite book or binge watching your favourite TV series.

Managing challenging relationships at work

If you have difficult relationships at work it can burden you with additional stress. Learning how to manage them can make you feel vastly less stressed at work.

• Avoid arguments, it’s natural to disagree with people, if everyone had the same opinion as everyone it would be a boring world. Although try to avoid arguing at work, sometimes it can be better to bite your tongue and avoid conflict and instead raise it with manager or relevant personnel.
• Raise concerns, If you feel like either you’re being bullied, or inappropriate comments are being made. Address them with your manager or speak to the person directly.

Stress is a burden that can dramatically impact your mental and physical health, it can lead to quitting jobs, and an increased likelihood of depression and anxiety if left not dealt with. It’s important to reach out and tackle these issues.

Feel free to check out these sources if you’re looking for help or additional information on stress:

• https://www.mind.org.uk/
• HBTC’s support page