Stress has become part of life, especially if you got a job. Maybe you are working offline, online or you are a business owner.
Even students are subjected to stress, in every phase of life we experience stress.
If you don't know how to handle stress, you might become affected physically and mentally.
I will discuss the primary source of my stress recently.
Although, my work is a very stressful job because I work in a construction company. Being a site Engineer comes with a lot of stress and fatigue. Sometimes I will be so busy that I will skip breakfast and lunch.
I'm currently handling three major projects for the past three months, and the success of this project is heavily dependent on me. I have subordinates, but they are all looking up to my instructions.
Being an engineer you need leadership skills to motivate your team and also encourage them whenever they are weak. A lot of times, I used my money to push the running of the site forward so that I could meet the project deadline and have a fantastic outcome.
The major cause of my stress on site is quality control, this
is the most challenging aspect. I will make sure the materials on site are properly managed. During casting, I
Will stay with them all through the day. Even if the sun is hotter than fire, I must stay with them so that the technicians won't compromise the quality.
Casting section Onsite
Image Is Mine
Communication with workers and management is another stress that I passed through daily. Sometimes I will be on call with my direct boss for 30 minutes or above.
I will attend a Zoom meeting with the management once a week, and then attend a general meeting once a month.
I will communicate with my team daily, very early in the morning to plan the work of the day.
I also have onsite and unforeseen circumstances that might show up and we must fix them to archive the schedule of the day.
I work in Lagos Nigeria, a West African Country. There are a lot of area boys in the environment. These sets of people are another major challenge that contributes to my stress daily. They constantly requested money from the site engineer, which I used to handle. At times, I would make promises to them that I would afterwards fulfil.
How I'm Dealing With The Stress
I have selected a set of professional technicians, who help in terms of quality control. They are also a quality-oriented set of people. It helps the workload to reduce, even if I'm not on-site, they will deliver a good job.
In terms of communication with workers, I created a WhatsApp group for all the team leaders, then dropped the schedule of the day in the group. Everyone will check their WhatsApp daily and communicate with the rest of the team.
I'm currently working on a road project, and whenever the sun is too hot and I'm feeling weak. I will go under a shade and relax. I will check the site activities wherever I sit.
Occasionally, I might give myself a two-hour break and head to a cool location for a shower and some relaxation. Then I will be back stronger. I have been managing the stress with the above strategies.
I didn't let my site-related activities interfere with my personal life, and I always made time for my loved ones.
In conclusion, stress management is very important in an individual's life to maintain good hygiene and live a good life. Understand the nature of your work and work out a plan that will reduce your stress.
