We have all had a stressful day on the job, but when a stressful day turns into weeks and months, something has to give. One-third of a person’s life is spent at work, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It only makes sense that if you’re stressed out over work, the other two-thirds of your life feels off balance as well.
When dealing with a stressful work environment you must first pinpoint the origin of the stressor. Is it a coworker, an upcoming event at the office, or the customers that are causing you stress? Once you locate the source of the stress, you must evaluate the situation. According to CNET.com, there are three key things that you need to realize when dealing with workplace stress:
- Nobody has all the answers.
- There are no quick fixes.
- By employing an intelligent, methodical approach, you can get to the bottom of whatever it is that’s stressing you out and can initiate changes that will help.
The American Psychology Association recommends talking with your supervisor about the stressor and/or learning how to relax away from work. When talking with your supervisor about your stress, remember this isn’t the time to make a list of complaints. This is the time to come up with a productive course of action you can take to prevent a high stress work environment.
Finally, learn how to walk away from work without bringing the stress into other areas of your life.
American Psychology Association also suggests deep breathing exercises, meditation, and physical activities to relieve some of the stress.
They say that working on disconnecting from work by not thinking or talking about it can be helpful as well. Work can be stressful, but if you learn how to manage it, work might turn out to be a more fun than you thought.
