Work Stress and Coping Strategies in Army Personnel

Abstract

As we know the Army personnel job is one of the toughest among various professions. Work stress refers to harmful bodily and emotional responses that arise when the job requirements don’t match the needs, ability and expedient of the individual. They have to face various adverse situations around their surrounding as well as various emotional turmoil. There is a lot of pressure for army personnel to match the expectation of their job requirement and intermittently it happens that they cannot even participate in their family’s happiness and sorrowful times. The outcome of long-term chronic work stress can be manifest as physical and psychological symptoms such as headache, body pain, fatigue, lethargy, diminished sleep and appetite. So, to deal with the chronic stress the army personnel have to adapt some coping strategies that help in facing the situation. Coping strategies meant that behaviour or thought processes are used in reacting to a disturbing situation. It is simply taking a direct and conscious approach towards an issue instead of using protective mechanisms. The way the Army personnel cope with the situation completely depends on the personality trait of the individual and whether they use active or passive coping methods. This article will reflect on the concept of work stress and explore the various coping strategies that can be used by the Army personnel.