How to handle Stress in your Workplace

By: Greg Frost

With the fast advancement of technology, the stresses faced at work have also increased. Many people dislike going to work, hence the term “Monday Blues”. What is the reason for this? There is partly the fear from being retrenched during strenuous times, leading to greater job insecurity on the part of those who remain. Undoubtedly, occupational stress is one of the most commonly cited stressors faced by people all over the world.

Stress refers to the pressure and reactions to our circumstances around us which results in psychological and physical reactions. While some stress is beneficial for motivation and increasing efficiency, excessive stress can result in negative impacts such as lessened effectiveness and efficiency. There is an increasing number of people are feeling isolated and disrespected at work, and this has led to greater occupational stress. Many companies have taken to consulting experts and professionals on ways to improve connectedness and morale of their employees.

Some companies organize parties and make an effort to allow their employees feel valued at work. These are methods to encourage employees and help them to feel secure at their jobs, which would translate into greater productivity. However, not every company have such measures in place, and some have not gotten it quite right. Hence, it is your choice to ensure that you can cope with stress at your workplace, and utilize it to help you work better. Here are 3 simple steps to help you with coping with stress in the workplace.

Step #1: Raising Awareness
Help yourself to identify when you are facing rising levels of stress, tipping the scales from positive to negative. This is important, as being able to identify signs of being stressed can help you to take the necessary precautions to ensure that your overall quality of life does not drop. If left unacknowledged, the problem will only grow bigger, leading to dire consequences to your health and overall wellbeing.

You can identify if you are stressed up by checking if you have any physical or psychological reactions, such as excessive sweatingor increasing heart palpitations, or the onset of headaches, being irritated or the want to run away. If you experience any of these reactions, identify if you are feeling any overwhelming negative emotions, and if you are constantly worried.

Step #2: Identify the Cause
You have to be able to analyze the situation and identify what is causing the rise in stress. These stressors can be both external and internal. External stressors refer to things beyond your control, such as the environment or your colleagues at work. Internal stressors refers to your personal thinking and attitude. Often, we only start reacting to stress when a combination of stressors working together goes beyond our threshold.

Keep a diary or a list of events that have caused you to experience strong negative emotions, or those that are likely stressors. This will help you to identify the reasons behind your stress. While it is not always possible to eradicate them, we can change the way that we cope with it.

Step #3: Coping with Stress
In order to tackle the situation that is causing you stress, you need to calm your mind and body so as to stave off the reactions and cope with it in a positive way. This can be through different methods, such as taking time off. If a situation is causing your stress and you are unable to calm down, move away from it. Head outside and take a walk to calm down. Alternatively, you can try implementing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing. If it is an internal stressor, stop your thought process until you are able to deal with it logically.

The key to making these 3 steps work for you is to practice them. These are not instantaneous solutions, and you need to condition your mind and practice them so that you can implement it when you are feeling stressed.

Article Source: http://www.leadershiparticles.net

Greg Frost is an authority figure in the Stress Relief field and director of www.HowToRelieveStress.org, a company that provides a variety of stress management content to help you manage your stress.