Stress is inevitable. But the debilitating strain of chronic work stress is not, even if you're in an inherently stressful profession.
In fact, learning to manage your stress is likely to improve your career, according to career coach Julie Jansen, the author of "You Want Me to Work With Who? Eleven Keys to a Stress-Free, Satisfying, and Successful Work Life--No Matter Who You Work With."
"The number one tip I give to people who want to get ahead at work is 'Manage your stress,'" she says. "People who are stressed act out, and behaving badly can mean that when a promotion comes up, you'll be passed over."Consider these tips for recognizing and managing work stress:
Become mindful
"The
most important thing an individual can do is have awareness of both
what's causing the stress and how you're responding to it," says Dr.
Steven Rolfe, principal of the Boswell Group, a business consultancy in
New York City.
Focus on your stress response and pinpoint causes:
Take control
While
you probably can't control layoffs or reorganizations, there are things
you can control--and you should focus on those, says Diane Lang, a
health and wellness counselor in New York City.
"I had a client who couldn't leave her job at the moment because she was a single parent," she said. "So we made a list of everything she could control and worked on the list."
Such a list might include focusing on improving your own job performance and setting short- and long-term goals for changing jobs.
Breathe
"Don't hold
your breath" is a cliche for a reason. When people are stressed, they
literally forget to breathe, says Jeffrey Brantley, director of
mindfulness-based stress reduction at Duke University's Center for
Integrative Medicine and a coauthor of "Five Good Minutes at Work: 100
Mindfulness Practices to Help You Relieve Stress and Bring Your Best to
Work."
Even taking a few minutes to breathe deeply can calm your body's stress-spurred flight-or-fight response.
First things first
"You
cannot get control of your stress without getting control of yourself
physically," says Karissa Thacker, a Delaware-based management
psychologist.
So go back to basics:
Change your pattern
Try
this: talk to someone at work you haven't visited in a while. Go out to
lunch if you usually eat at your desk. Introduce yourself to someone
new. Do something to interrupt the usual cycle of stress and anxiety.
"Humans are routinized creatures," Thacker says. "Upset the routine, and you will also unfreeze the thought and emotional patterns that are keeping you constantly worked up."
For more information:
Jennifer Cochran
(432) 683-7277
4400 N. Big Spring, Suite 202
Midland, TX
info@energipersonnel.com