Job stress occurs when you work too much; work in conflict with your values and talents or work under difficult circumstances. It is not new s to anyone that stress can make you physically sick.
Not only can work stress make you sick, but once you get sick, your lower energy levels affect the quality and quantity of your work. Eventually, impaired performance can ruin your career.
Whether you work for yourself, own a business or are an employee, stress on the job is a growing issue. With increasing financial constraints, employers are asking more of each worker with fewer resources. You are not only concerned about your stress, but also the stress of the people around you. Other’s stress can affect your work and health as well.
Take a moment to write down a few of the things that stress you at work. Look at the items on your list. What do the items all have in common? Do you have control over any of them? Situations that cause you stress are situations you feel you cannot control – too much to do with too little time or resources, other people not pulling their load, negative or demanding supervisors or coworkers, or fear of job loss for example.
The key to reducing your stress is knowing what you can and cannot control and focusing your time and energy on the things within your control. You have NO control of anything outside yourself, which includes, time, nature and other people. The good news is that you have TOTAL control of everything inside yourself, your thoughts, feelings and choices.
This does not seem earth-shattering until you look at daily reactions to what stresses you. Take a look at your list. How much wasted time and energy are you spending trying to control the uncontrollable?
You can reduce that stress by putting your time and energy into the only area where it will pay off, where you have total control and power to direct your life – in YOU, in what you think, feel and choose (your actions). This brings you the stress-free confidence and freedom of self-mastery.
Take charge of your thoughts by shifting the way you focus and feed your mind. Focus on what is right in a person or situation and choose the next steps that will take you in the direction you desire. Turn off negative news and feed your mind information and ideas that are inspiring, ones that create possibilities for growth.
Take charge of your feelings by noticing physical cues that signal how a situation or person is affecting you. In the moment, take a deep breath, smile and feel the support of the earth under your feet. These actions are within your control and reestablish your sense of power in the situation. Breathing increases oxygen to the brain so you can think more clearly. Smiling is a conditioned response that triggers endorphin production to improve your mood. Stressful emotional triggers are usually connected to childhood memories where you felt vulnerable and not in control. Feeling your feet on the ground brings your focus back into the present moment where you are supported and empowered as an adult. Later, you can take a closer look at what memories might have triggered your feelings.
Take charge of your choices by thinking about your options before reacting. Automatic or uncontrolled reactions include fight, flight or freeze. To increase your sense of control and reduce stress, think of at least two or more options from which you can choose. The more options you see, the more empowered and less stressed you will feel.
As work stress rises, remember that you can only control what is within yourself. Let go of the fruitless struggle to control what is outside of you. Take charge of focusing and feeding your mind, noticing and staying present when your feelings are triggered and maximizing your options for making a choice. These simple strategies can effectively increase your inner control which relieves the cause of stress, which is feeling out of control.
© Aila Accad, RN, MSN