You’re not supposed to bring stress home from work, but if you do – El Paso experts offer help

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — It's no secret that stress can affect moods, workplace productivity — and the mind. Finding out how to manage stress can be a challenge, and so can trying to find peace.

Stress can impact physical and mental health challenges, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"83% of US workers suffer from work-related stress and54% of workers report that work stress affects their home life," OSHA statistics state. The agency further claims that workplace stress has reportedly been cited in 120,000 deaths in the US each year.

Loneliness, isolation, job security, fears of retaliation an changing schedules can all impact employee mental health, according to federal experts. "Because of the many potential stressor's workers may be experiencing, a comprehensive approach is needed to address stressors throughout the community, and employers can be part of the solution," they say. 

"Mental health challenges can include clinical mental illness and substance use disorders as well as other emotions like stress, grief, feeling sad and anxious, where these feelings are temporary and not part of a diagnosable condition," OSHA says.

Work can be one of those factors, according to experts. Emergence Health Network offers a number of stress and mental health support options, and ABC-7 spoke with one of their experts to discuss different ways of reducing workplace stress.

OSHA says that workplace stress and poor mental health can affect workers' job performance, productivity, engagement, communication, physical ability and daily performance.

While there are many things in life that induce stress, work can be one of those factors. However, workplaces can also be a key place for resources, solutions, and activities designed to improve our mental health and well-being.

Some tips for employers from OSHA include being aware of the load that is on each person, and how it affects them individually. Identifying the factors that make it more stressful can also help, and so can empathetic stances from managers and employers.

Another important aspect is providing access to coping and resiliency support options for work. "Research from the American Psychological Association suggests 50 % of employees find that a lack of paid time off or sick leave has a negative impact on stress levels at work," OSHA says.

Avery Martinez covers mental health in the Borderland as part of ABC-7’s Be Mindful initiative. He is also a Report for America corps member. RFA places talented, emerging journalists in newsrooms like ABC-7’s to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up.