It can be very helpful to look for small satisfactions during the course of your working day, achieving small goals and giving your self a pat on the back in the process can really change your day and have the effect of easing the workload, rather than just hoping that at the end of your day that there will be one large one.
Setting small achievable goals, such as, dealing with a set number of emails or telephone calls can have the effect of really brightening your day because you actually feel as though you are making some serious progress. Each one of these smaller goals in turn rolls up to help you to achieve the greater goal, which is total completion of your allocated tasks. This can be an excellent source of great satisfaction for you and leaves you feeling as though your days labor has been very worthwhile and productive.
Stop dwelling on what you should have accomplished yesterday, yesterday is gone and you can't bring it back no matter how much you might wish you could, concentrate on today, because whatever you do today shapes the course of your tomorrow.
Always be entirely true to yourself, don't assume that you are perfect, but at the same time there is no benefit in being over harsh with yourself. Acknowledge that you are less than perfect, as are we all, but don't punish yourself.
Look to someone you admire and if you look closely enough you will see that they also have their weaknesses and imperfections. No one is perfect, so don't beat yourself up over it. Concentrate on what you do well and you will feel and be more successful in all your endeavors.
Using your time efficiently is the most effective way of dispelling any feelings of wastefulness you may have at the end of the day. Carefully plan your time, don't waste it, it's the most valuable asset you posses.
Allocate realistic deadlines for each task you have to carry out. Above all try not to under estimate the time required to complete a task as this is one of the major causes of work place stress and if not nipped in the bud early on can lead to serious bouts of depression.
Keeping a stress diary is a very good idea, keep a log of each days stressful encounters and go over it at the end of each day, analyze it and look at alternative ways to accomplish stressful tasks.
If certain duties appear too stressful for your comfort, break them down into smaller and more manageable tasks and you will be surprised at the speed with which you accomplish even the most unpleasant of jobs.
Be totally and completely honest with yourself in your diary, it's only you that is going to see it, so there is no need to dress it up in any way. Don't forget it's for your eyes only, that is unless you wish to discuss it with your partner or a close friend. If you do decide to discuss your problems ensure that the person you choose is a trusted confidant, otherwise you may only serve to unnecessarily exasperate your situation.
Forward planning is the key to alleviating stress in the workplace, always put aside some quiet time to plan your next day in advance ensuring that you definitely allow yourself adequate time to accomplish all that you have to.
You will soon realize that what at first caused your stress levels to rise is in fact simply down to bad time planning and as you become more accustomed to keeping and dealing with your stress diary you will find that previously stressful situations can now easily be taken in your stride.
Continual daily stress can have devastating effects on both your work life and your home life. Remember it pays to divide the two. Where ever possible don't take your work home, if this is unavoidable ensure that your family and friends are aware that you need to spend some time working and ask for their consideration so that you an complete the tasks more quickly.
Co-operation and not conflict is the key to handling stress, and setting aside some time for simple planning will allow you to achieve much more in the same amount of time, and your stress levels as well as your mental fatigue levels will be much lower, and you and all around you will be all the happier for it.
One of the main reasons work overload and pressure has increased is that organisations in the developed world are trying to compete with cheap labour in the emerging economies. Ironically workers in the emerging economies are also experiencing greater levels of stress. The cost of stress in the workplace is enormous and is estimated to consume between 5% and 10% of gross national product per annum.
The ability to lower levels of stress in the workplace has been shown to improve employee health and quality of life as well as boosting the bottom line. These are some of the reasons that Employee Assistance programs to reduce stress in the workplace by providing services like anger and time management and learning relationship skill. Some even offer marital counseling, since stress at home often spills over to affect job performance that increases stress in the workplace.
There are many causes of stress in the workplace. Some common causes of stress in the workplace include working long hours, feeling that you are being treated unfairly, not having any acknowledgement or reward for a job well done, and most importantly, increased demands but having little control or decision making latitude of your work activities. This latter combination of factors are the most important contributors to stress in the workplace and have been shown in scientific studies to be associated with higher rates of hypertension and heart attacks.
In addition to other disorders, persistent stress in the workplace due to constant increased demands can also lead to burnout. Burnout from stress in the workplace is likely to be seen in employees who are perfectionists or think they are superhuman. It is also seen in caregivers and EMS personnel who experience frequent episodes of frustration and depression because of stress in the workplace. Symptoms from this severe type of stress in the workplace include persistent and significant depression, fatigue and lack of energy and motivation and markedly diminished sense of humor, satisfaction, self-confidence and ability to concentrate. Brownout is a lesser form of burnout resulting from stress in the workplace.
A lack of job security is also cited as one of the major causes of stress in the workplace and has been a growing problem due to more downsizing, hostile takeovers and mergers. This type of stress in the workplace can affect everyone from data entry clerks and salespersons to supervisors, middle management and top executives.
Stress in the workplace has become an increasingly hot topic over the past few decades and in the workplace it is obviously important to employees, but management seems only concerned with stress for several other reasons.
The primary cause of employee stress in the workplace is money. This drastically diminishes workplace performance. If your employees learn to budget and manage their money the right way they then can focus on their jobs.
Stress at home is always present then you go to work and discover that someone wants your job, your secretary quit, the big boss is coming into town and you have a project that is way overdue. That's pretty stressful too. What's more, women and men who are successful in the workplace are usually pretty good at juggling stress and when that begins to break down, then not only does a job become jeopardized but so do the very foundations for which you built your career upon.
Jobs come and go for some, but career-minded individuals who are focused on success tend to stick with their jobs and in order to maintain job security, you must be able to deal with stress effectively. One way to avoid stress in the workplace is to avoid it and another is to be sure you aren't creating any unnecessary stress.
No matter how bright your career is, ultimately you will endure some pretty stressful situations from time to time. Handling stress in the workplace is tough to do sometimes if you don't know how to handle stress at home. And stress at home is enough to make for a very difficult work environment which you are responsible for creating if you take the stress into your office.
Respondents who experienced illness at work claimed stress and sleep deprivation were the second and third most common reasons for the illness. Stress and sleep deprivation also were attributed as the second and fourth most common reasons for unproductive hours lost due to illness. High stress was a more frequent cause of presenteeism for female health and safety professionals than for males; presenteeism increased as age increased; and employees who worked more than 40 hours a week experienced more stress. Finally, absenteeism is correlated to presenteeism. If an employee is absent due to illness, it is likely that employee also is less productive while at work.
Based on the results, it is recommended that workplace health promotion and education programs consider specific sub-groups of employee categories, such as age, gender, health status, smoking status and hours worked per week. This way, employers can customize stress reduction programs based on employee specific needs.
Personal struggles with work. Serious stress in the workplace is also caused by an employee not fitting in a job, fear of unemployment, sidelining or demotion and attempts to strike a healthy balance between work and family or leisure. Boredom is also a major problem in the workplace. People in different kinds of workplaces suffer from different kinds and levels of stress. Ranking highest in severity and occurrence is inadequate salary and lack of opportunity for advancement.
Both Mike Collins & Gavshannon 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.