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[D84]Dealing With Work Stress

by Pat Carpenter, Pat

Individuals who work in Dallas, Houston and other places in Texas, as well as throughout the rest of America, occasionally have a bad day or two at work; some more than others. It's estimated that work-related stress is responsible for millions of sick days annually, with stress linked to many minor and major illnesses.

Work stress is different for every individual. Some are affected more than others. It may depend on your personality type and on how you have learned to respond to pressure. These are just some of the issues associated with work-related stress:
- Lack of control over work
- Excessive time pressures
- Excessive or inflexible working hours
- Too much or too little work or responsibility
- Confusion about duties and responsibilities
- Lack of job variety and interest
- Inadequate training and possibilities for learning new skills
- Poor work/life balance
- Difficult relationships at work
- Lack of support and lack of contact with colleagues
- Organizational confusion, restructuring, job change
- Uncertainty over job prospects

Work-related stress symptoms
Work-related stress can manifest itself as both physical and emotional health problems, and it can alter behavior at work and home.

Physical symptoms
The physical manifestation of work-related stress can develop into some or many of these symptoms:
- Increased susceptibility to colds and other infections
- Headaches
- Muscular tension
- Backache and neck ache
- Excessive tiredness
- Difficulty sleeping
- Digestive problems
- Increased heart rate
- Increased sweating
- Reduced sex drive
- Skin rashes
- Blurred vision

Emotional and behavioral changes can include:
- Urge to cry
- Feeling like you can't cope
- Short temperedness at work and at home
- Feeling that you've achieved nothing at the end of the day
- Eating when you're not hungry
- Losing your appetite
- Smoking and drinking to get you through the day
- Inability to plan, concentrate and control work
- Getting less work done
- Poor relationships with colleagues or clients
- Loss of motivation and commitment

Changes at work
If work-related stress is affecting your health, you should try to deal with it as soon as possible. One of the more important factors in reducing stress levels is managing your time effectively. Prioritize tasks, delegate where necessary and don't take on more than you can handle. Completing one task before going on to the next one will help you feel more in control, while varying tasks can help to keep you interested.

Another suggestion: take time to relax at work by stretching and breathing deeply. This will help you keep focused and prevent tired muscles. By simply ensuring you get outside for a walk during your lunch break, you can really reduce stress dramatically.

It may seem hard to confront the causes of workplace stress and ask for help. But sometimes, support and advice from your company's management or human resources is necessary to help you deal with difficulties at work, whether it's to clarify your job role and responsibilities, or deal with workplace bullying.

Lifestyle changes
Folks in the larger Texas cities such as Dallas and Houston, and throughout the State, have found that regular activities outside of work also help them meet new people, take their minds away from work stress and remind them that there is more to life than the office. Creative hobbies, such as painting, or a new form of physical activity such as dancing or swimming, can really change your outlook on life.

There is also growing evidence that regular physical activity reduces stress levels. It provides valuable "time out" and can trigger brain chemicals that can improve your mood. A brisk daily walk is ideal, but the main thing is to choose an activity that you enjoy.

Learning to relax can improve sleep and relieve stress-related physical pains. In addition, confiding in trusted friends or relatives could help you articulate worries and negative feelings. It can give you a fresh perspective and help make stressful situations more manageable.

Stress is an inevitable but unavoidable companion in our working lives. The aim should be to manage stress by becoming aware of various ways to respond to it, and by making effective changes to your working lifestyle.

Stress has a way of creeping up on people when they are least expecting it. The first thing to understand about stress is, that there is no medicine that can cure stress, sure there are drugs that can reduce the impact of stress but there is no drug that completely eradicates stress. Today stress is one of the leading causes of loss in productivity the world over, and work related issues are one of the leading causes of stress. If you are currently in a job that involves high amounts of stress or your office conditions are such that you come across stressful situations on a daily basis, then this article is designed to help you work on reducing the stress that you encounter.
The most important thing to understand is that, loosing your temper or patience on things that are not in your control is not an option. For example, if you are in charge of the supply stores of a company and one day you realise that due to an ordering error or a flaw in the system there is no longer any stock of a particular item available. The first thing that comes to mind is to find out who messed up and let him or her have a piece of your mind. This may temporarily release your anger but in no way helps you combat the stress you experience. In fact in this particular case the first thing to do is to calm yourself and figure out an alternative solution so you can get the stock back to an optimum level. You will be surprised how a local dealer or a similar alternative will present itself.
Another common cause for stress is a troublesome colleague or supervisor. The truth is that every medium or large office has its share of difficult people, and there is no denying that they do have a detrimental effect on everyone they come in contact with. However instead of assuming that things are out of your control and succumbing to stress, you should look to work around the problem and try to find a solution or a means to reduce your stress. Many management gurus will tell you the reason why some employees are difficult is because they themselves are under stress. Make sure that you try and understand the cause behind the employee's actions, instead of assuming that there is no solution to the problem.
Remember at the end of the day you are responsible for your own actions, and whether or not you choose to succumb to stress is entirely in your hands. Even if you are in a job where stress is part and parcel of your duties, make sure you try your level best to combat stress and not succumb to it. Once you have isolated the factors that are causing stress you can better combat stress. Always remember that you are not helpless. If you make up your mind you can better manage stress and at the same time make your workplace more cordial.
Although there is no particular type of personality that is more prone to stress, but it has been noted that people have their own ways of propagating stress. Some people become overtly aggressive, while others actually go into seclusion. In either case the first step in handling stress is identifying the root cause of the stress. Once you know the cause of your stress you should ideally confront the problem and see if you can find a solution that will help you reduce the stress you are experiencing. People who experience stress in the work place usually incorrectly conclude that a difficult boss or co-worker cannot be dealt with. This is not the case, make sure you try and resolve any work related issues and conflicts in a mature way. After all if something is causing you stress, chances are the other individual is not happy with it either. You should make sure that you have tried to solve any issues or problems in an amicable way.

Article Source : anger and stress management

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Both Pat Carpenter & Gail Frei are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Pat Carpenter has sinced written about articles on various topics from Women, Marathon Tips and Insurance. Pat Carpenter writes for Precedent Insurance Company. Precedent puts a new spin on health insurance. Learn more at . Pat Carpenter's top article generates over 823000 views. to your Favourites.

Gail Frei has sinced written about articles on various topics from Stress Management. Gail Frei is the author of this article on . Find more information about. Gail Frei's top article generates over 1300 views. to your Favourites.