Severe Stress Reactions

Impulsive reactions such as road rage are a reflection of stress-filled lives. Sometimes, people manifesting many of these symptoms are considered to be simply difficult personalities, but the difficult part of their personality might actually be prompted by high stress on the job or away from the workplace.

Is anyone in your office displaying symptoms like these -- taken from the US Army FM 22-51 - Leaders' Manual for Combat Stress Control

1. Argumentative nature
2. Reckless action
3. Indifference to danger
4. Memory loss
5. Physical exhaustion
6. Insomnia
7. Rapid emotional shifts
8. Apathy
9. Constant moving around
10. Rapid or inappropriate talk

Another 16 symptoms appear in the Army's list of severe stress reactions, including stuttering, mumbling, crying, social withdrawal, and frantic or strange behavior.

Employees who experience these severe stress reactions need some immediate relief. Some people won't realize that their stress level is out of control, and they might even deny the need to take action. Tolerating employees who exhibit severe stress reactions isn't doing them a favor.

Nor does allowing stress-filled situations to continue help the company. Leaders are responsible for both the detection of these severe stress reactions and for bringing the stress levels back to normal. More on this in future blogs.

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