2008/04/07 00:00:00
By Janet Farley - April 7, 2008
Feeling stressed out at work lately? You missed yet another one of your child’s soccer games, because you weren’t able to leave from your desk. Your once fun-loving coworkers now irritate you to the point of frequent headaches. Essentially, job satisfaction as you used to know it is nonexistent.
Take heart. You’re not alone.
Job stress in the U.S. is alive and well. The American Psychological Association (APA) reports 54 percent of Americans are concerned about the level of stress in their everyday lives. APA further reports one-third of us are living with extreme stress, and nearly half (48 percent) think their stress has increased in the past five years.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), stress is defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when job requirements don’t match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker.
In other words, stress rears its ugly head when you and your job are not a good fit. Your body, your mind, and your soul suffer — and the end results are frightening.
Excess levels of stress have been found to cause:
- cardiovascular disease
- psychological disorders
- a depressed immune system
- on-the-job injury
- depression
As if those ailments aren’t scary enough, consider the potential damage to personal and professional relationships. Additionally, you become less productive at your job when dealing with high amounts of stress — something both you and your employer will have to deal with. In the circle of life paradigm, excess stress doesn’t seem to be a good thing for anyone.
How do you know when you are at risk?
According to NIOSH, early warning signs include headaches and sleep disturbances. You might experience difficulty concentrating and have a permanent short temper. You also might have an upset stomach and experience job dissatisfaction. Your morale, once high, is likely on the negative side.
Let’s be clear: Everyone has a stressful day now and then. The kind of stress we’re talking about is of the frequent flyer variety.
Job stress management techniques
Indulging in negative behaviors such as drinking alcohol, taking drugs, overeating, or smoking won’t solve anything. If stress is an issue you or someone you care about must deal with, consider implementing the following strategies instead:
- Just breathe. Take deep, intentional breaths and focus on them. Take five minutes each day to focus on breathing in and out, thinking about the rise and fall of your chest. It’s not very exciting — but that’s the goal of this strategy.
- Temporarily switch gears. The second you sense stress coming on, launch your own personal game of “Survivor” to outwit, outplay, and outlast it. Do something else for a half hour, then go back to the stressful task or issue at hand and look at it with renewed vision.
- Think before you speak. Not only will this protect you from greater stress— compliments of open mouth/insert foot syndrome — but it will help you objectively analyze the situation at hand.
- Stand up straight. Ergonomically speaking, good posture can help minimize stress on the body. Less stress on the body translates into less stress overall.
- Manage your time more effectively. You might think you have your schedule nailed down, but maybe it’s time to revisit how you manage your to-do list. First, let’s assume you have one. Then, let’s make sure only the truly important tasks make it on that list and that you have the time and energy to tackle them. If you don’t, identify the obstacles are and either eliminate them or minimize them.
- Reevaluate your priorities. Your stress might be the result of conflicting priorities. Identify yours, and live by them. If you don’t have that luxury, do the best you can, and don’t beat yourself up over what you can’t accomplish.
- Leave the room. Pull an Elvis and leave the building. A change of venue just might be what you need to move on. Never underestimate the power of the great outdoors or the nearest Starbucks.
- Work out and eat right. When you take care of your body, you take care of your ability to manage stress. Exercising and eating right does the body good.
- Lean on someone. Even the strongest of us can benefit from spilling our guts to a trusted confident. Be it a spouse, a girlfriend, or some unlucky schmuck who happens to be in the wrong place at your right time — lean on them. Keeping stress hostage inside your mind and heart won’t do anyone any good. Let it out.
- Consider a new job or career. In the end, if stress still gets the better of you in your current job, it might be time to consider a new one.
- Consider professional help. Your family services center and your chaplain are lifelines at your disposal. Use them.
— Janet Farley is the author of The Military Spouse’s Complete Guide to Career Success (Impact Publications, 2008) and writes the career advice column JobTalk for the Stars and Stripes newspapers. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, and comments at janetfarley@hotmail.com.
