Dealing with Work Related Stress

Workplace stress is what energizes, motivates creative thinking and keeps you interested in your job. But unmanaged stress or stress that is not dealt with properly frustrates and wears you out.

High stress levels are, in fact, getting higher with every passing day. Studies reveal that there is a strong connection between high stress levels and the rising cost of health care.

One of the major reasons for the increase in workplace stress has been the change that has taken place in workplace settings. With the advancement that has taken place in information and communication technology, you are never too far from your workplace – cell phones, PDAs and laptops ensure that you are always connected to work. Not bringing your office worries was never so difficult before.

You are adept at management techniques and know how to make the most of your time but what do you when you are faced with situations that are fraught with difficulties and imponderables. Slipping deadlines, uncooperative colleagues and unrealistic demands placed on you can leave you in a quandary and cause a lot of stress in your life.

So, how do you deal with work related stress? All situations cannot be controlled but you can calm things down and not let them explode. Here are some useful suggestions.

• Start your day right – You are more likely to enjoy you work if start your day on a right note. Make sure to have a nutritive breakfast, plan properly and adopt a positive attitude for the day ahead. A stressful morning means that you are more reactive to stress at work.
• Exercise – Exercise is the top way to deal with stress at work. If you are in a position to, then go to a gym during lunch. If not, then join a local yoga, go for a swim, jog around the building or just go for a walk. Go anywhere you like to but just change the scene and exercise a bit for half hour. Go shopping if you like.
• Prioritize – Use your time management skills to organize and prioritize your tasks. Create a daily task list and cross them off the list when a task is done. If your workload is high, talk to the boss instead of cribbing over it. The boss can help you prioritize your work.
• No comparison with others – You will be creating a lot of unnecessary unhappiness if you keep on comparing yourself with co-workers. The only comparison that is of any value is what you were and what you are now.
• Do not postpone – it is always better to take a wrong decision rather than not take it at all. If you keep procrastinating work pressures are only going to mount. There may be times when the deadline is round the corner and you are too burnt out to meet it.
• Learn to say no – Learn the ability to say no politely so that you do not commit to more than what you can handle.
• Switch off for some time – Turn your cell phone off and log off you e mail account but do it responsibly for some time. Not all calls or messages require immediate responses. It is okay to wait for some time before you respond to most issues.
• Avoid multitasking – You may be able to prepare your breakfast and talk on the phone simultaneously. But you could have done both better if you had done them one after the other. It only appears that you are doing more than one task together. Actually you are switching between them rather than doing them together.

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