Coping with Stress at Work

 

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Never get to a point where you confuse working hard with overworking at the expense of your sanity. Every job has some level of work-related pressure. Regardless of how much you love your job, you might be faced with a challenging obligation that stresses you.

However, when work-related stress becomes chronic, it can be harmful both physically and health-wise. Unfortunately, long-term stress at the workplace is all too common, according to a survey in America by APA. Work has been cited time and again as a significant source of stress by many Americans.

You may not be able to avoid work-related stress in its entirety due to workplace dynamics. Take a look at some sources of stress at work:

• Few or lack of opportunities for growth
• Excessive workloads
• Low salaries
• Lack of social support
• Conflict in performance expectations and unclear demands
• Unchallenging work conditions 

Stress from work doesn’t just disappear when you get home. If left unchecked, it can spiral into insomnia, anxiety, high blood pressure, and difficulty concentrating. Before it gets to that level, take these steps towards coping with stress. 

Track Your Stressors

The best way to determine what your stressors are is to have a journal. Take note of those situations that create the most stress and how you react to them.

Record your feelings, thoughts, and information about the environment, including what and who is involved in the physical setting. As you take notes over some time, you’ll notice some patterns that can help you find a solution.

Develop a Health Response

The last thing you should do is to try to fight stress with alcohol or fast food. This will only mask the problem for a while and with time compound the problem. Learn to make healthy choices whenever you feel the tension arise.

For instance, if your stressor is a low salary that’s never enough, consider getting into a financial management program. This will help you find ways to manage the little you get, so that you not only survive but also thrive. You could look into the DTSS U.S. Complete Freedom solution that propels you from debt to freedom.

Create Some Boundaries

It’s crucial to set work-life boundaries for yourself. For example, separate your time at work from home issues and vice versa. Determine that you won’t bring work to your private space, or answer work-related phone calls at dinner.

You also need to plan to stay organized and not do anything beyond your work plan. The more organized you are, the better you'll be at avoiding the adverse effects of clutter. This will improve your levels of efficiency.

While at it, avoid multitasking as it affects your speed and accuracy. To some extent, your sanity also suffers as you try to juggle between more than two tasks at once.

When to Get Help

If you do all you can to deal with stress but still can't, it's probably time to get help. Don't ignore the situation or deny you have a problem. Reach out to a co-worker for support and to buffer you the adverse effects of work-related stress.

If you don’t feel safe opening up to a colleague, go for professional help. A counselor will help unearth all underlying factors and help you deal with them adequately.