Tuesday Health Tip: Managing Workplace Stress

Tips for Managing Workplace Stress:

• Take your pulse. Just as nurses take the pulse of patients to know their condition, we must take time to check our stress level. Recognizing when we’re too stressed is the first step to stress management. Try checking your “stress pulse” 2-3 times a day.

• When you discover that you’re too stressed, identify the source of stress and do some problem solving. Much of our daily stress can be handled with basic selfcare. These behaviors include eating right, adequate sleep, exercise and taking regular breaks. Simple stretches throughout the day can be very helpful, too.

• Know your personality and your stress style. If having a messy desk stresses you, make sure your desk is straight before you leave at night. Recognizing what pushes us to the edge gives us an opportunity to develop a personalized strategy for coping with that particular issue.

• Learn to be assertive. Being able to say “no”, negotiate deadlines or to ask for help is a critical skill for personal stress management.

• Know your best times of day and of the week and maximize those times for complicated, difficult tasks.

• Change “I have to go to work” to “I get to go to work”. Being grateful for our jobs today can help us cope with everyday stressors and recognize that there are things that are right with our jobs.

• Find support. Because we spend so much time at work, our coworkers can truly be our second family. Be sure these relationships are nurtured and used when tough times come along.

• Be sure your job is the right fit. No one can fix the stress of being in the wrong job. If you can’t leave right away, begin to make a plan to increase skills or to look for a job that is a better fit for you.