A Safe and Secure Workplace Lowers Stress

This blog post is part of a four-part series on the stress busting power of a personal mission statement. We believe that personal mission statements limit negative stress and provide guidelines for a satisfying life. We will provide insight into how personal mission statements work and provide guidance so that you can write your own.

Sudden, unexpected events contribute to negative stress. Additionally, negative stress increases when we feel that we cannot meet the challenges. A personal mission statement can help you address life’s challenges and help you respond appropriately to life events.

In a previous blog post, I wrote that a clearly defined mission statement provides structure, stability, and safety. I will discuss the aspect of safety in today’s post.

What We Need

First let us talk about human needs. Abraham Maslow, an influential psychologist, determined that healthy development depended on basic needs being met. He divided the basic needs into two categories. The physical category captured those items that impact the physiological needs of a person. This includes food, water, air, shelter, clothing. Without these items, a person is in danger of dying from malnutrition, asphyxiation, and exposure to the elements.

We also know that the quality of the items in this category affects the healthy development. Poor quality of food leads to nutrition deficiencies. Contaminated water contributes to deformities and conditions such as cancer. Poor air quality aggravates breathing conditions such as asthma or COPD. Inadequate housing contributes to poor physical, mental, and emotional health.

About Safety

Safety as Maslow described it also included security of the body, family, health, employment, and possessions. A secure feeling is also necessary for health.

Feeling safe and secure decreases negative stress. We feel safe when we feel protected from something that has the potential to harm. We also feel safe when we believe that we are empowered to limit risk of possible harm. For example, a parent who is teaching their child to drive may feel safe only when the parent is driving the vehicle. The parent’s sense of safety comes because they control the vehicle and believe that they are limiting the risk of an accident.

Using a stove as an example, I keep myself safe when I do not touch a hot stove because a hot stove can cause injury. Additionally, monitoring a pot when cooking maintains safety. When I turn the stove off after cooking, I keep myself and family safe.

Safe is a subjective feeling that is related to our experiences, core beliefs, and thoughts.

Feeling Secure

We feel secure when we believe that we are protected from harm that comes from intentional means. A sense of security is also subjective and based on perception. Security comes from environmental structures that we can hear, see, touch or smell. Having a stable place to live provides a sense of security.

Here is an example of how a stable place to live influences our sense of security.

I have a home.
It has windows and doors that lock.
My home is warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
It protects me from bad weather like rain, snow, high winds.

Another example

I have a job.
My paycheck is regular and on time.
I am accepted and valued at my job.
My job is satisfying.

This simple example of security may be expanded to include environmental factors. Natural barriers like rivers, trees, or mountains may create a sense of security. Manmade structures like roads, buildings, or utility systems also influence the feeling of security.

The ability to call for help in case of an emergency provides a sense of security. Having an electronic alarm system that prevents or limits the threat of being robbed causes a person to feel secure in their home or office. Security means that threats from an outside source are limited.

Fencing contributes to a sense of security. Walkers appreciate sturdy fencing when they hear a dog with a robust bark making its presence known behind the fence. Zoo goers appreciate the barriers between the animals and themselves.

The feeling of safety and security are vital to the working woman who wants to move away from being overstressed and close to burnout.

What I do

I am showing working women step by step how to development a personal mission statement during “Stress Talk” Live with Marcyline Bailey. This 30 minute program is broadcast every Sunday at 4pm on the M.L Bailey Consultants Facebook page and on YouTube. Join us weekly.

Do you want to stress less? Download 7 Sensational Stress Solutions

“Here is to your sustainable, successful and satisfying stress managed life.”
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