How Work Stress Messes with Your Mind and Motivation

Work stress can really take a toll on people. It's not just about feeling overwhelmed. It can change how someone thinks and feels about their job. This is what a recent study dug into. It looked at how stress affects workers' minds and emotions. The study used a theory that connects thoughts and feelings to personality. It's called the cognitive-affective system theory of personality. First, the study found that stress can make people feel anxious and tense. This is the emotional side of stress. It can make workers feel drained and less interested in their jobs. But stress also affects how people think about their work. It can make them doubt their abilities and feel less confident. This is the cognitive side of stress. Both of these sides can lead to lower work engagement. Work engagement is when someone is fully involved in their job. They feel enthusiastic and committed. But stress can pull people away from this state. It can make them feel disconnected and unmotivated. The study showed that stress doesn't just make people feel bad. It changes how they think about their work. This can lead to a cycle of negativity.The study also found that not all stress is the same. Some stress comes from the job itself. This is called role stress. It can come from having too much work or unclear expectations. Other stress comes from outside the job. This can be family issues or personal problems. Both types of stress can affect work engagement. But the study focused on role stress. Role stress can make people feel stuck. They might feel like they can't control their situation. This can lead to negative thoughts and feelings. It can make people feel like they're not good enough. This can lower their work engagement. The study showed that role stress affects both the mind and emotions. It's not just about feeling bad. It's about how people think about their situation. The study used a theory to explain these effects. The cognitive-affective system theory of personality looks at how thoughts and feelings interact. It says that thoughts and feelings are connected. They influence each other. This theory helped explain how role stress affects work engagement. It showed that stress changes how people think and feel about their jobs.