Dealing with work-related stress? You’re not alone! “More than one-third of American workers experience chronic work stress, with low salaries, lack of opportunity for advancement and heavy workloads,” according to the American Psychological Association’s new work stress study. With everyone stressed, there has to be a common denominator somewhere…it’s you! Your mood and perspective have 100 percent control over your stress level at work, but they can be some of the hardest things to change. Here are a few tips to help you get back in the driver seat of your stress level.
Observe and be observed
Before you make any major changes, take a look around your office. How do other employees deal with stress? Take notice of your coworkers’ efforts and motivate your staff when you have a chance. Putting just a small amount of effort into improving your work environment could earn you some much needed brownie points and/or an ally when things get really stressful.
Make a game plan
Take time to recognize the biggest stress trigger for you. How can you alleviate some pressure associated with those tasks? Prioritize! Don’t try to keep tasks organized in your stressed out brain. Make a task list, prioritize it, and mark things off when they are completed. It sounds like a simple process but it will do wonders for your psyche. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It is easy to get overwhelmed and feel like you have to bear all the weight of an issue to avoid losing credibility in the workplace. This is a terrible misconception. Your coworkers (and especially your superiors) like to see that you know your boundaries. Get clarification on your goals and priorities. Set due dates for yourself and break projects down into several milestones; eliminate the word procrastination from your vocabulary.
Keep positive feedback and compliments you have received
Criticism can be helpful (and hard to accept) sometimes. Take it with a grain of salt and learn from it. On the other hand, keep positive feedback in an archive somewhere forever! I have a folder in my email titled “Maggie Moments” where I keep emails from clients or colleagues complimenting me. Sometimes positive feedback is hard to come by, but you just have to know how to interpret it. You need to be offering positive feedback and encouragement to others in your office whenever possible.
A large percentage of people claim that their office does not provide enough support for stress management; you can be the one who changes this. Don’t fall victim to your anxieties and workload, the power is in your hands.
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