Conflicts impact health

Findings from the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan show: Suppressed conflict increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Smoldering, unexpressed anger—whether at work or in private relationships—is a burden on health.

Most people do not like conflict and tend to avoid it. Understandably so, as emotions in conflict situations will invariably run high with unpredictable consequences. We must learn to control the energy of conflict, even if our first impulse is to escape rather than confront the situation.

Conflicts just keep getting worse when we push them away. So, addressing and managing conflicts helps us stay healthy. Dealing with conflicts is a part of taking care of our health. Conflicts are a part of life, whether we like it or not.

In occupational science factors causing undue stress from work are referred to as psychosocial risks. Conflicts with supervisors or coworkers are a risk factor. Psychosocial risk assessments required by the Safety and Health at Work Act (Arbeitsschutzgesetz, ArbSchG) are made in order to establish unresolved workplace conflicts and examine how conflicts are dealt with.

Conflict dynamics can pose a real danger. Harmless at first, conflicts indicate differences in concerns and needs. Hot conflicts are tangible and visible and thus dealt with more directly than cold conflicts. Cold conflicts are generally ones that have cooled down from a previous hot state. They are characterized by subtleties and unspoken animosities. They are difficult to grasp and tackle. It is often a cold conflict that affects physical health. Doctors must probe deeply to track down the cause of the physical ailment and identify the cold conflict as the root cause. Popular idioms illustrate the connection between health and conflict: “That makes me sick to my stomach;” “It galls me;” “I’m fed up to the back teeth;” and “It’s a pain in the neck,” etc.

All of these expressions point to unresolved situations, which trigger unpleasant feelings and turn into emotional burdens that may manifest themselves physically. When we push conflict away, body clues and warning signals will tell us we need to sort things out.

We should take these signals seriously right away. It is important to consider what internal or external issues need to be clarified.

The idioms listed above indicate that workplace conflicts may quickly affect our private lives as well. Pain, discomfort, insomnia, etc. are stressful and can cause further personal problems.

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Regularly sharing our views and expectations about our work environment helps prevent major tensions or conflicts from developing.

Accepting our differences is key: Some of us are chipper in the morning while others would rather be alone. Our working styles and routines differ as much as our needs for closeness or space, structure or freedom, etc. We must accept our different views and interests and develop approaches that incorporate them into our daily work.

We must be aware of tensions and conflicts so that we can stay healthy and enjoy our work. Concretely, this means we must consider what the conflict or tense situation is really about. What’s behind it? Identifying the needs and interests that contribute to the conflict is an essential part of conflict resolution. Afterwards, everyone should develop strategies individually or in discussions with others to clarify and reshape the situation.

Learning how to address minor disruptions early on helps prevent hard and stressful conflict.

Talking to each other is good for your health!