Stress in the Workplace: Managing Job and Workplace Stress
Let me start by talking about “good stress” vs. “bad stress.” Certain kinds of workplace stress can actually be good for you. Good stress can help give you focus and achieve your personal and professional goals. A deadline is a good example of how it can help you focus your efforts and achieve the results you want. Good stress tends to be short-term. It isn’t pervasive.
Bad stress, on the other hand, tends to be long-term and inescapable. It can feel overwhelming and never-ending What I’ve learned over the last few years is that this type of stress can absolutely, positively, unequivocally, affect both your business and your health.
Consequently, it’s good to have a plan at your job to address workplace stress and then execute on that. If you’re feeling stressed out at work, try these three techniques:
- Work in Your Flame. This one may take time. People are either working in their wax (they hate what they’re doing) or they’re working in their flame (they love what they’re doing). Do your best to transition out of things that are your wax and move into your flame. For the record, it took me years to get to that place. Set realistic expectations and move towards that goal daily.
- Job Discernment. Change the things you can change at work and accept the things you can’t change. A mantra I learned from Jack Canfield which I absolutely love is, I have a child (business), I’m not my child (or whatever applies to you – such as I have a boss, I’m not my boss). Discern what you can change at work and work on it. Those things that are out of your control (like the traffic or your boss), you need to let go.
- Help Others. According to the American Journal of Public Health, “helping others predicted reduced mortality… by buffering the association between stress and mortality.” Who would have thought? If you help someone to grow their business, you will feel less stressed! Well, to be honest, I’ve seen this professionally for many, many years. One of the principle core values of my company, BNI, is Givers Gain. This is a perfect example of feeling better at work by helping others first.
My book
My book, “Healing Begins in the Kitchen” shares the remarkable story of how I went into remission from cancer just nine months after my diagnosis.
http://tinyurl.com/HealingBeginsInKitchen
Good read Ivan.
I can relate to this, and point number 3# help others. Now im working in a young entrepreneur business, and everyone is have a good relationship to each other. But helping the team, and when they appreciate it, is definitely what keeps me working 47+ hours a week.
Eventhough it was a small blogpost i could relate to everything, just 1 point i think you are missing. 4#. Sleep. thats also a dealbreaker for me, and for many others, if i dont get at least 7-9 hours of sleep, for weeks then im demotivated and also just feeling like going to bed when getting home.