Support from others

In the stress check test, we check 3 points listed down below for 3 targets; “boss/superior”, “colleagues”, and “friend/family”.

What kind of support would you ask to others?
Social support is mainly divided in to 4 types.

①　Mental support:
To console you at times of sorrow, and to cheer you up.

②　Informational support:
To help you with advice and information.

③　Physical support:
To help you by doing your work together.
To support you with resources and money.

④　Evaluative support:
To appreciate your effort in work, and to value your skills.

To rely on one person for all 4 types of support is very difficult, so it is best to ask for a different person for each type of support.
For example you may ask your boss to value your skill and effort in your job, ask your colleague to give advice when you are struggling with a new task, and ask your family for understanding and mental care when you are having a hard time at work.
By doing so, you will be able to receive support constantly.

The categories on “Support from others”

Here we will introduce the support from others.

・　Support from your boss
・　Support from your colleagues
・　Support from your family and friends
・　How satisfied you are with your life and job

In which article did you score low?
See below for further advice on categories which you scored low.

Whether your boss is easy to talk to, if you can rely on him/her.
What kind of support your boss give you.

★Comment from the public health nurse★
If you need support from your boss, you cannot just wait for support.
Think about how you can have good communication with your boss before thinking “My boss should already know this by now” or “It’s useless to ask for help in the first place”.
It is better not to give up.

When asking your boss for help, it is necessary to sort out what the problem is, and what kind of support you need.
To think logically and clearly is important.
Along with that, preparing objective data and records to persuade your boss will not only help you receive support, but it will help your boss and may lead to improvement in your job environment.

Whether you feel easy to communicate with your colleagues, and you can rely on them and help each other.

★Comment from the public health nurse★
In order to ask your colleagues for support, doing nothing but waiting will not do. You must act towards your colleagues first.
Here you can get two tips of building better relationships with your coworkers.

①　Even if you can do little to help, do what you can do to help the person in trouble.
If you find somebody in trouble, do not hesitate to lend a hand.
If you find that there is little you can do to help him/her, that person will not forget the fact that you tried to help and will not forget the gratitude towards you.
This will lead to good relationship of trust and will strengthen the horizontal connection at your job environment.

②　Do not ask for something in return, instead hope for the team to grow.
When you help other people with their tasks, do it for the team’s sake and not to personally receive something in return.
It is important to have team spirit when helping others.

What kind of support your family, friends, and other people outside of your job gives you.

★Comment from the public health nurse★
In order to get support from people who are not in your working environment such as your family and friends, you need to have close communication with them so that when you find yourself in trouble, they will notice it quickly.
By having frequent conversation with your family, they will be able to recognize your current situation, and support you quickly when you are suffering from stress.

This shows your satisfaction towards your work and everyday life.

★Comment from the public health nurse★
This article asks your current satisfaction with your job and private life.
Note that the satisfaction level will change depending on your situation at home and at Also, satisfaction and worthwhileness are linked.

Getting more support Tip #1 Frequency of communication

In order to receive enough support, it is necessary to have enough communication.
One way to improve communication is to improve the frequency and not the quality.
It is easier to improve the number of times you communicate with people, than to improve the quality of what you talk with others.
There is a data proving that even though the quality of the conversation is not a rich content, a high frequency of conversation leads to enriching human relationship.

This is known as “Zion’s effect”, or “Mere-exposure effect”, which shows that a person’s favorability increases according to the frequency of contact.
There is no need to have a long conversation, you could start by a short chat or just saying “Hello”.
The important point is to do this as much as possible.

Getting more support Tip #2 Social styles

Social style is a way of self-assertion and the way one express their emotion, and it is categorized into 4 types.
By knowing what you and the other person’s type will help you to communicate smoothly.

To find out what your social style is, click the URL below
http://news.doctor-trust.co.jp/?p=36964