12 Ways To Eliminate Stress At Work

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The average business professional has 30 to 100 projects on their plate !o"ern #orkers are interrupte" seven times an hour an" "istracte" up to 2 1 hours a "ay An" four out of 10 people #orking at large companies are e$periencing a major corporate restructuring% an" therefore facing uncertainly about their futures This may be #hy more than &0' of a"ults say they lie a#ake at night plague" by the stressful events of the "ay

()eople are asking me for ans#ers%* says Sharon !elnick% )h + % a business psychologist an" author of just release" Success Under Stress (Everyone feels over#helme" an" overly busy * ,s there a #ay to maintain stea"y focus throughout the "ay- ,s it possible to "o everything that nee"s to get "one an" still have energy left over after #ork.o# "o you keep cool un"er so many "eman"s- ,nforme" by 10 years of .arvar" research an" fiel"/teste" by more than 0%000 clients an" trainees% !elnick offers the follo#ing strategies to take your #ork stress "o#n a peg% before it takes over your life

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The 10 Worst 7ommunication !istakes 1or 3our 7areer

Act Rather Than React (We e$perience stress #hen #e feel that situations are out of our control%* says !elnick ,t activates the stress hormone an"% if chronic% #ears "o#n confi"ence% concentration an" #ell/being She a"vises that you i"entify the aspects of the situation you can control an" aspects you can8t Typically% you8re in control of your actions an" responses% but not in control of macro forces or someone else8s tone% for e$ample (4e impeccable for your 90'%* she a"vises An" try to let go of the rest Take A Deep Breath ,f you8re feeling over#helme" or are coming out of a tense meeting an" nee" to clear your hea"% a fe# minutes of "eep breathing #ill restore balance% says !elnick Simply inhale for five secon"s% hol" an" e$hale in e:ual counts through the nose (,t8s like getting the calm an" focus of a ;0/minute yoga class in three minutes or less at your "esk%* she says Eliminate Interruptions (!ost of us are bombar"e" "uring the "ay%* says !elnick Emails% phone calls% pop ins% instant messages an" su""en% urgent "ea"lines conspire to make to"ay8s #orkers more "istracte" than ever While you may not have control
Jenna GoudreauForbes Staff

over the interrupters% you can control your response !elnick a"vises respon"ing in one of three #ays2 Accept the interruption% cut it off% or "iagnosis its importance an" make a plan !any interruptions are recurring an" can be anticipate" (3ou #ant to have preset criteria for #hich response you #ant to make%* she says 3ou can also train those aroun" you by ans#ering email "uring certain #in"o#s% setting up office hours to talk in person or closing the "oor #hen you nee" to focus Schedule Your Day For Energy And Focus !ost of us go through the "ay using a (push% push% push* approach% thinking if #e #ork the full eight to 10 hours% #e8ll get more "one ,nstea"% pro"uctivity goes "o#n% stress levels go up an" you have very little energy left over for your family% !elnick says She a"vises sche"uling breaks throughout the "ay to #alk% stretch at your "esk or "o a breathing e$ercise (Tony Sch#art< of the Energy )roject has sho#n that if #e have intense concentration for about ;0 minutes% follo#e" by a brief perio" of recovery% #e can clear the buil"up of stress an" rejuvenate ourselves%* she says Eat Right And Sleep Well (Eating ba"ly #ill stress your system%* says !elnick% #ho a"vises eating a lo#/ sugar% high/protein "iet (An" #hen you8re not sleeping #ell% you8re not getting the rejuvenating effects * Accor"ing to the 7+7% an estimate" 00 million Americans "o not get sufficient sleep% #hich is a critical recovery perio" for the bo"y ,f racing thoughts keep you from falling asleep or you #ake up in the night an" can8t get back to sleep% !elnick suggests a simple breathing trick that #ill knock you out fast2 7over your right nostril an" breathe through your left for three to five minutes Change Your Story 3our perspective of stressful office events is typically a subjective interpretation of the facts% often seen through the filter of your o#n self/"oubt% says !elnick .o#ever% if you can step back an" take a more objective vie#% you8ll be more effective an" less likely to take things personally She recalls one client #ho sent a re:uest to human resources for more people on an important project When she #as "enie"% she imme"iately got angry an"

"efensive% thinking they "i"n8t trust her to kno# #hat she nee"e" 3et she never stoppe" to even consi"er there might be bu"getary issues on their en" =nce she #as able to remove herself from the situation% she calle" the .> "irector an" sai"2 Tell me #here you8re coming from% ,8ll tell you #here ,8m coming from an" then let8s see if #e can fin" a solution ?ltimately% it #orke" Cool Do n !uickly

The 1atigue Solution2 .o# To ,ncrease 3our Energy ,n Eight Easy Steps
Jenna GoudreauForbes Staff

The Secret To 4reaking 4a" .abits 1or 5oo"

Jenna GoudreauForbes Staff

.o# To 4e A Super/Achiever2 The 10 6ualities That !atter

Jenna GoudreauForbes Staff

The 10 Worst 7ommunication !istakes 1or 3our 7areer

Jenna GoudreauForbes Staff

(When you feel frustrate" or angry% it8s a heate" feeling in your bo"y that can cause you to react%* says !elnick ,nstea" of imme"iately reacting@an" likely overreacting@she suggests trying a (cooling breath* techni:ue2 4reathe in through your mouth as if you are sipping through a stra#% an" then breathe out normally through your nose +one right% you8ll feel a cooling% "rying sensation over the top of your tongue ,t8s like hitting the (pause* button%

giving you time to think about your response She says% (,t8s so po#erful it #ill even calm the other person "o#n * Identi"y Sel"#Imposed Stress (Aearn to stop self imposing stress by buil"ing your o#n self/confi"ence rather than seeking other8s approval%* says !elnick ,f you8re too caught up in others8 perceptions of you% #hich you can8t control% you become stresse" out by the minutia or participate in avoi"ance behaviors like procrastination ,ronically% once you shift your focus from others8 perception of your #ork to the #ork itself% you8re more likely to impress them $rioriti%e Your $riorities With competing "ea"lines an" fast/changing priorities% it8s critical to "efine #hat8s truly important an" #hy That re:uires clarity% says !elnick ,t8s important to un"erstan" your role in the organi<ation% the company8s strategic priorities% an" your personal goals an" strengths 7ull your to/"o list by focusing on those projects that #ill have the most impact an" are best aligne" #ith your goals Reset The $anic Button 1or those #ho become panic/y an" short of breath before a presentation% !elnick says you can :uickly re"uce your an$iety #ith the right acupressure point )ositioning your thumb on the si"e of your mi""le finger an" applying pressure instantly helps regulate your bloo" pressure In"luence &thers Even if you8re responsible for your behavior an" outlook% you8re still left "ealing #ith other people8s stressful behavior% !elnick notes She a"vises confronting a problem co#orker or employee by stating the ba" behavior in a respectful tone% "escribing the impact on the team an" the in"ivi"ual% an" re:uesting a change 1or e$ample% constant negativity might be a""resse" in this #ay2 (When you speak in a critical tone% it makes others uncomfortable an" less likely to see you as a lea"er , un"erstan" your frustration but re:uest that you bring concerns "irectly to me% so #e can talk them through * 4y transferring the o#nership of the problem% you8re more likely to resolve it

Be Your & n Best Critic Some 00%000 thoughts stream through your min" each "ay% !elnick says% an" internal negativity is just as likely to stress you out as an e$ternal event The fi$- ,nstea" of being harsh an" critical of yourself% try pumping yourself up Encouraging thoughts #ill help motivate you to achieve an" ultimately train you to inspire others Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

Managing Job Stress - Overview

Job stress comes in different forms and affects your mind and body in different ways. Small things can make you feel stressed, such as a copy machine that never seems to work when you need it or phones that won t !uit ringing. "a#or stress comes from having too much or not enough work or doing work that doesn t satisfy you. $onflicts with your boss, coworkers, or customers are other ma#or causes of stress. %t s normal to have some stress. Stress releases hormones that speed up your heart, make you breathe faster, and give you a burst of energy. Stress can be useful when you need to focus on or finish a big pro#ect. &ut too much stress or being under stress for too long isn t good for you. $onstant stress can make you more likely to get sick more often. %t can also lead to long'term health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, back problems, and depression. (ook for these signs of #ob stress) *eadaches +rouble sleeping ,roblems concentrating Short temper -pset stomach Job dissatisfaction and low morale What Causes Job Stress? "ost of the time, it s the ma#or sources of stress that lead to #ob burnout and health problems. Job stress can affect your home life too. *ere are some common sources of ma#or #ob stress, with e.amples of each)

Lack of control. /eeling as if you have no control over your work or #ob duties is the biggest cause of #ob stress. ,eople who feel like they have no control at work are most likely to get stress'related illnesses. *ere s an e.ample) Shelly is responsible for putting together a report that her boss must deliver at a 4 p.m. meeting. She s been waiting all day for the notes and numbers she needs. Shelly finally gets the notes from her boss at 0)15 and rushes to prepare the report and charts and to make copies in time. She gets it done, but she feels mad and resentful. +his is the third time this week that this has happened. Increased res onsibilit!. +aking on e.tra duties in your #ob is stressful. 2ou can get more stressed if you have too much work to do and you can t say no to new tasks. John volunteers for every new pro#ect, because he heard that s the best way to get promoted. &ut the tasks are starting to pile up, and he s feeling overwhelmed. *e knows he can t really manage one more thing. &ut this morning, John s boss asked him to take on another pro#ect, and John agreed. 3ow he s more worried than ever about getting everything done. Job satisfaction and erfor"ance. 4o you take pride in your #ob5 %f your #ob isn t meaningful, you may find it stressful. 6re you worried about doing well at work5 /eeling insecure about #ob performance is a ma#or source of stress for many people. 7aoul has worked in his new #ob for 8 months. *e thinks he is doing well. &ut his boss doesn t say much, so 7aoul isn t sure. *e wonders if he s on the right track, but he s afraid to ask. #ncertaint! about work roles. &eing unsure about your duties, how your #ob might be changing, or the goals of your department or company can lead to stress. %f you report to more than one boss, #uggling the demands of different managers can also be stressful. 7osa s old manager was promoted. 3ow 7osa is working for someone new. She s heard that the new boss plans to 9shake things up9 in her department. +he new boss #ust hired :mily, whose #ob seems to be the same as 7osa s. 7osa worries about what this means for her. $oor co""unication. +ension on the #ob often comes from poor communication. &eing unable to talk about your needs, concerns, and frustrations can create stress. 6 new #ob with more responsibility and better pay #ust opened up in Jill s department. Jill knows she can do this #ob. 6nd she s been with the company longer than anyone else on her team. She waits for her manager to ask if she is interested. &ut after several weeks, a coworker is promoted to the new #ob. Jill feels hurt and angry, but she doesn t say anything. Lack of su ort. (ack of support from your boss or coworkers makes it harder to solve other problems at work that are causing stress for you. Jeff works in a busy office answering customer complaint calls all day. %t would be easier to handle all the calls if he could at least trade tips with his coworkers. &ut everyone else is busy too. *is coworkers never make it out of their cubicles during the day, even to let off a little steam. $oor working conditions. -npleasant or dangerous physical conditions, such as crowding, noise, or ergonomic problems, can cause stress. Sonya is e.posed to constant noise at work. She wears earplugs, but at the end of her shift her ears are ringing. She often comes home with a headache.