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PUBLICATION
| Title: | Stress Survival … Reduce Work Related Stress |
| Source: | Chicago Hospital News |
| Publish Date: | 09/01/2005 |
| Author: | Mary Speiser |
Numerous sources have referred to chronic workplace stress and burnout as an epidemic. Reports from major health services and surveys in business publications regularly report alarming statistics about the health consequences of chronic stress, and the cost to organizations of stress-related absences, accidents, poor productivity and morale problems.
Why is stress at work – at any level in an organization – so common? Hard work is an American value. But we’re probably adhering to that value too well, as people are working harder but taking less time off than ever before. Also, the days are gone when people worked for the same company for 30 years and then got a gold watch at their retirement party. Job changes are more frequent now, and that’s an additional source of stress.
Are you among the millions of overstressed Americans? Ask yourself these questions:
1.) Do you rush in a panic to work every morning?
2.) Eat lunch at your desk to get as much work done as possible?
3.) Too exhausted at the end of the day to enjoy activities at night?
4.) Ruminating as you try to fall asleep about what needs to be done tomorrow?
5.) Dreaming (or having nightmares, especially on Sunday nights) about work?
6.) Putting off vacations because you're too busy to take them?
If you answered yes to at least two of these questions, stress is probably affecting your life more than you realize. And it's not uncommon for overstressed people to either ignore or fail to recognize the signs that they're over-committed to their work. But the physical and emotional consequences of working as hard and as fast as you can every day are serious, and include increased risk of a heart attack, weakening of immune system, anxiety and more.
How about some good news? Fortunately, the process of re-designing an overstressed life can be relatively straightforward, and includes an assessment of stressors, resources, commitments and opportunities for identifying personal and professional goals and values.
Here are 10 specific ways you can reduce your workplace stress:
1.) Prioritize! Don’t try to get everything done at the same time.
2.) When you get interrupted by someone at work, politely let them know that you’re in the middle of an important project and agree upon a time to talk later.
3.) Don’t eat lunch at your desk, and don’t bring work with you to lunch. Take a break!
4.) Use deep-breathing exercises or relaxation techniques to de-stress during the day.
5.) Reduce the noise in your environment by shutting your office door if you have one. Open door policy is a good one, but sometimes you just need to re-focus!
6.) Don’t keep things bottled up! Let co-workers know if something they’re doing is causing you stress. This is extremely difficult to do, but can be done calmly and professionally.
7.) Eat right, sleep right and exercise regularly (with your doctor’s permission).
8.) Try leaving the radio off in your car on the way home. Many people find that the quiet helps them unwind. For those music fanatics, go ahead and blast your favorite tune!
9.) When at home, don’t ruminate on work-related problems. Write them down, put them out of your mind and add them to your schedule for the next day.
10.) Use a close friend as a sounding board for discussing work-related issues, but not on a routine basis.
Even if you're not feeling particularly stressed by your work life right now, these ideas can help you continue to enjoy your life to its fullest and protect you against future stressors.
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