Stress Management Tips

Since we all must work, workplace stress is pretty much unavoidable.  Once at work you find many things to stress about.  This stress is not totally necessary as it is possible to manage with the right tools.  You man not be able to avoid stress but you can try to manage it.

Stress in the workplace often comes as a need for everything to be done immediately.  For instance, your boss has given you a dozen things to do and they are all important.  The problem arises when the workload exceeds the time available.  In addition to the workload, someone is always asking for something you completed days ago or your boss is coming to you with more to do.  It looks like it will never end but you can manage it.

The first step in avoiding the stress is to focus on one task at a time.  Don’t try to multi-task as that will lead to failure impacting your system.  Changing focus between projects takes its toll on your brain as it takes time to change your thoughts from one project to the next.  Maintaining focus on one project until completion conserves your energy and thoughts instead of spreading them among various tasks.

One of the biggest distractions is your coworkers.  Someone is invariably asking for your opinion or time to help them with their projects.  If possible, fend off these time wasters to prevent loss of focus.  Learning to say “no” can prevent distractions.  “No” can be highly effective though it may be better to say “No, not right now”, or “After I am done with this”.  This will give you time to complete what you are doing.  And by the time you finish, the coworker may have found a solution of their own, but if not, then you can easily help them.

At times, your concentration may just run out and this can cause all types of difficulties.  You may find yourself rereading the same paragraph several times or staring at the same thing on the computer and still not know what you are reading.  This means you are not being effective, your brain is shutting down yet the deadline is coming closer and closer and you must complete the project.  At this point it is time to disengage.  Get a drink, go to the bathroom, take a short walk, anything to clear your mind.  When you do this, you are making sure you are working effectively and reducing stress to low levels.

Learn some desk exercises to reduce stress.  Pick up a spongy ball and squeeze it or do some stretches while at your desk.  Working your muscles improves circulation and helps keep you alert and aware.  Of course, you aren’t going to do a full body workout while sitting at your desk, but a little exercise can help to keep your mind focused.

Finally, take a look at your office to ensure it is comfortable for you.  Are there a lot of distractions?  Too much noise?  Is your desk the correct height?  Is everything ergonomically proper?  Are you comfortable?  In order to work effectively, you must be comfortable in order to avoid more stress.  So, your office must be set up correctly for you.  Addressing the little things in your office allows you to work more effectively, consistently and confidently.

Stress in the workplace cannot be avoided.  But, proper management can minimize the stress.  When the stress is managed properly, work becomes more enjoyable and you end up being more productive.  Taking care of yourself and your work environment first prevents stress from controlling you.

Click here if you need some information on Managing Stress.

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When you are facing a stressful situation, what you’ve eaten determines how you can react.  If you’ve eaten nutritional foods then your body can call upon its reserves for the extra energy necessary to deal with the stress.

Since dealing with stressful situations also has an affect on the way your body utilizes what you have recently eaten it is important to know what may be affected most.  Some vitamins like Vitamin C are required to maintain your energy level and prevent you from becoming listless and tired.  Stress also weakens your immune system to some extent.

Because stress causes the body to go into the fight or flight mode, blood is routed away from functions not necessary to assist in fight or flight.  Your heart rate also increases during these times.  This causes your blood pressure to rise as more blood is pumped around your body to provide oxygen to the muscles.

What are some foods/substances that may not help in dealing with stress?  Anything containing caffeine or large amounts of sugar may give an immediate boost but over the long term they have a negative affect.  During stressful times it may be better to take vitamins and minerals and drink non-caffeinated beverages instead of eating sweets or drinking high-caloric drinks.

Some of the best sources of beneficial minerals and vitamins are fruits and raw vegetables.  These can be kept handy with very little preparation and eaten when life becomes hectic.  Many fruits such as oranges, apples and melons are high in Vitamin C and some vegetables with high amounts of Vitamin C are spinach, green peppers, and tomatoes for example.  Of course carrots and leafy green vegetables are good sources of other nutrients.

If you want to lower your blood pressure during stressful times, some foods that will thin your blood are garlic, onion, cinnamon and peppermint.

Avoiding coffee and sweets will help deal with stress as these do not contain vital nutrients and may give a false impression they are helping to deal with the situation.

By eating healthy you can keep up your energy level for dealing with stress and fatigue.  Once you are eating properly, your energy level will increase and you will maintain the ability to deal with stress more effectively.

Click here if you need some information on Managing Stress.

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Keeping in line with the theme of this blog, no, diet cannot cause stress.  But diet is something we might stress over.  If we want to lose weight and can’t but are exercising and doing other things that should cause us to lose weight, then we might want to look at our diet to see if it is the cause.

We may be eating the wrong foods to be losing weight, or we may be eating too much to lose the weight we want to.  Once again, if we are stressing over our diet then we must begin to make choices about what is important.  After we decide what is important then we must act on our decision.

If we decide that we will no longer allow our lack of weight loss to control our life then we can figure out the cause of our distress.

Click here if you need some information on Managing Stress.

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Be thankful

Make a list of what you are grateful for and read through it every day. Sometimes more than once. YOu will be amazed at how this changes your outlook on life. A list of gratitudes goes a long way in this life where it seems there is always something popping up to distract us.

Oh, don’t forget that no-one is perfect all the time so don’t beat yourself up if you neglect to do something you could have that might have made your life a little better. There is always tomorrow and if you beat yourself up over something you didn’t do today then you will just build more negative vibrations into your psyche.

Take time for yourself because you are all you have. Nobody else can take care of you like you must. The chores will still be there when you get back to them and it isn’t necessary to have everything just so even if your mother-in-law is coming to visit.

I just read that we should remember that we are human beings, not human doings which means we are in the process of being and can take time to rest and go fishing with our spouses or family. Constant doing is not good for the soul.

Thoughts rule our lives

Negative thinking is counterproductive, burning up a large amount of our time, slowing forward momentum, and draining our energy in the process. This is why we should all focus on positive outcomes with optimistic realism.

Successful people spend time thinking positive thoughts. You can too!

Visualize what your success would look like when that enormously challenging project is completed. Take a little time to visualze reaching each milestone and derive satisfaction from a job well done.

Each morning take a few minutes to visualize positive outcomes. You will be thrilled at the change in your thinking and behavior through the day.

Be grateful for how well you feel. Practice visualization and positive thoughts to enhance your results.

Pick Energizing Environments to stimulate yourself

Find an environment that supports your process. I have been told that successful people surround themselves with successful people and that my net worth is the average of the net worth of the five people with which I surround myself.

Stay away from those people and places that draw your energy down. Enhance your contact with people and places that uplift you and give you energy.

Allow yourself to re-charge in settings that energize you. Natural locations that relax and sooth you can help you re-charge your internal batteries.

Spend some time having fun with family, friends and colleagues. Some of these activities may seem silly but actually letting go can stimulate your energy and return your balance.

So don’t forget to be thankful, think positive thoughts and stimulate your batteries.

Click here if you need some information on Managing Stress.

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Today I heard about another way to relieve work related stress.  Easy, just quit your job or get laid off.  No more work related stress.

Actually, there has been a lot of this going around recently and anyone who quits their job in this day and time had better have an oil well to sit under because jobs are scarcer than hens teeth.

Two people I know have been laid off this week and I’m sure it isn’t going to stop any time soon as the economy slows down even more.  The “work related stress” now becomes a different kind of stress - “finding work” stress.

I know, I’ve been there and it isn’t fun to be out looking for work wondering when you will be called for an interview and then after you go to the interview, wondering if you will be offered a position and at what salary.  Or once you find out about the position, having to tell the interviewer, no, you aren’t interested in their offer because you would have to drive too far or you really wouldn’t fit in the organization.  These kinds of decisions are painful to make as it really must be made clear as soon as recognized that there isn’t a fit.  Just don’t waste too much of your time or the interviewer’s time in these situations.

It may appear that taking any offer would be prudent, but consider the situation and decide if it would be better to hold off and look for a better offer from some other company.  Here you are playing the waiting game hoping to get a better offer with (possibly) none in sight.

Of course the alternative is to accept any offer fully intending to continue to seek other employment while working at the new position.  This could jeopardize your chances of getting an interview as many companies frown on job hopping so might not call you for an interview when they see you have only been employed at the new company for a short time.  The choice is yours to make…

During this time of unemployment the stress that has to be dealt with is different as now there are bills to be paid with no income.  This is stressful in itself and this stress must be managed properly.

There are more stress relieving techniques you can use if you happen to be laid off here.

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