We must first understand the nature of stress, before we can think about what is causing it and how we can manage it. According to Karl Albrecht, an expert in the field who identified the four main types of stress, an understanding of the different types that people deal with is one’s ideal prescription to good health and success.
The four main types of stress
A management consultant and conference speaker who pioneered the development of stress reduction training for business people, Karl Albrecht defined the four types of stress in his 1979 book “Stress and the Manager” as time stress, anticipatory stress, situational stress and encounter stress.
Stress occurs when an environmental situation is perceived as presenting a demand that threatens to exceed a person's capabilities and resources for meeting it. More simply put, it is a manifestation of thinking and worrying about the future. Anxiety is created by focusing attention away from the present. It is created by expectations of the future — the tension between the now and the later.
Imagine one of those busy workdays when you don’t even have time to check the new emails and text messages you’ve been getting alerts for all day. You were just about to head out when you get called in for a wrap-up interview, and this agitates you so much that you have to take a minute, or five.
No matter how one defines stress, we all face it at work, and our success eventually depends on how well we are able to deal with it.
Time
Time stress is experienced when one worries about time, or rather, the lack of it. Those who stress about time the most, worry about the number of things that they have to do, and constantly fear that they won’t have time to achieve something important, or simply forget about them. These types of people commonly feel trapped, unhappy, or even hopeless.
Time stress is the most common type of stress and it is essential to learn how to manage it if you're going to work productively in any busy organisation. To counter this kind of stress, one needs to learn good time management skills, get accustomed to regularly using to-do lists, and set goals and make action plans. It is also important to get used to prioritising day-to-day tasks.
Situational
One experiences situational stress when one is in a situation with little or no control over its outcome. Generally, it is a situation that involves conflict, or a loss of acceptance in one’s immediate peer group. For instance, making a mistake in front of a big team can cause situational stress.
Situational stress is sudden and not anticipated. To manage situational stress better, one needs to learn to become self-aware, or be able to recognise the physical and emotional signals that the body exhibits when under pressure. Since conflict is the biggest cause of situational stress, one needs to pick up conflict resolution skills to better handle it. It is most important to be able to manage one’s emotions and think on one’s feet.
Anticipatory
Anticipatory stress is stress about experiences concerning the future. It is often focused on a specific event, for example, an upcoming public speaking engagement that one might have. However, anticipatory stress can also be indistinct and indeterminate, such as an overall sense of dread about the future, or a foreboding sensation that "something will definitely go wrong."
Because anticipatory stress is based on the future, managing it starts by recognising that the event one is dreading doesn't have to play out as imagined. This type of stress commonly results from a lack of confidence and can be countered by focusing on the present instead of dreading the future.
Encounter
Encounter stress is caused by other people. You may not like a person, or a group of people, or you may feel unsafe around them for whatever reason and you experience this stress whenever they are around. Encounter stress can also occur if your role involves a lot of personal interactions with customers or clients, especially if those groups are in distress (for example, doctors, social workers, counselors etc).
Since encounter stress is caused by people, one will manage this type of stress better by working on one’s people skills. A good place to start is to develop greater emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognise the emotions, wants, and needs of yourself and of others. This is an important skill in interacting with others and in building good relationships.
A common symptom of encounter stress is getting grumpy in your interactions. When this symptom manifests, do whatever you can to take a break. Counter it by taking a break, going for a walk, drinking water, and relaxing before talking to the next person.