If I notice that someone in the workplace is stressed or anxious I sit with them for a bit. I listen to their worries and offer some suggestions on how to solve their issue. Acknowledgement of someone's feelings is so important.
Ryan,
Release of emotion is the healthy practice we all need to learn. Screaming in the cooler works for you but I would even look farther into the best practices for release of emotion. There are numerous activities that can release stress. A balance plan of exercise, good health habits, mental activity aside from work, recreation, spiritual rejuvenation and others keep us in the right fram of mind to accomplish great things.
Dr. Gary Carlson
As everyone else has said, exercise is a great way to calm nerves. It at least allows one to fall asleep rather than toiling over the problem. I work in a kitchen and often times I will go into the cooler to scream. That has a calming effect.
Shawn,
Dealing with any problems is good to track it back to the precedent behavior. When you know why something is happening then it is easier to come up with a good plan.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Janelle,
It is aways best to put it out in front of everyone. Keep trust and honesty in front of all the employees.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Our company has experienced many changes, mergers and downsizing over the last 3 years. Our department workload has increased, while many other departments were downsized. This has created some "suvivor stress" amongst our department. We are a cohesive unit and work as a team. Much of what we do to combat stress is meet to discuss our feelings and fears and plan for the future.
I tend to see the problem from the beginning and try to develop several ways to overcome the problem.
I have learned to avoid over scheduling meetings within a day. I prioritize task in order of significance and work on high priority tasks. Projects that appear overwhelming are approached in a progressively manner. Delegating responsibility is a superb tool; and, it engages coworkers in projects and organizational objectives. I welcome suggestions and can compromise. I have compelled myself to take two to three short breaks during the day to clear my thoughts and break the monotony. On occasion, I take lunch breaks. I love the suggestions for confronting toxic worries by naming the problem, thinking constructively about the problem, developing alternative hypotheses, revising fundamental assumptions about myself, and sharing my concerns with a trusted person. These are superb techniques. I endeavor to assist coworkers with stress by providing support, motivation, and information. I strive to maintain open lines of communication, praise good work performance, and expression appreciation for excellent work.
Jessica,
It is helpful if you have someone you can talk with about your situations. Just talking it out sometimes solves the issue or gives you some ideas on how to resolve the problem.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Whenever I am stressed at work I try to take some deep breaths or listen to music. If that does not work, I try to find a co-worker I can vent to our laugh with and that typically does the trick. Sometimes I even email my significant other and vent to them to get an outsiders perspective. Typically just the act of talking about it and getting the stress/feelings out of me really helps.
Alex,
Our lives are full of learning experiences. Your ability to benefit from your learning experiences helps you adapt to future experiences. This why people begin to see you as a leader with wisdom. Stress can be reduced by your wisdom of dealing with the challenges in front of you.
I would step away for a minute or two fromt that location if possible. I would try to identified the stress triggers and consider each situation as a “learning experience†for the next time around.
Alex
Jesus ,
Stress sometimes pushes to higher levels of performance. We get a rush of accomplishment when good stress works for us.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Denise,
Picking your confident people to confide in is important. When you can trust them to keep your personal conversations private with you and give advice is essential.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Dealing with workplace stress is difficult but what has helped me tremendously is exercising and going out side atleast once a day for about 5 minutes to get a breath of fresh air.
I have a friend who happens to be a psychiatric nurse. She teaches in an Associates Degree nursing program in town; so, for the most part, she knows the challenges that I face in my job as an educator. She is great to bounce off ideas and to allow me to vent. Another person to whom I go for advice is a colleague working for the same company that I do. I respect him highly and use him to help me deal with students, our administration, etc. I rarely talk to my husband about work place stressors, but he has a good head on his shoulders and can give good advice. Every now and then, I will go outside and let out a few primal screams. That really feels good!
Cynthia,
Organization is always important for stress relief. Some piles have to be changed because of the level of importance on your items may change. With organization this will not be hard to transfer objectives to different piles according to necessity to address most important items first.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I try to organize my work into three piles. What I absolutely have to do, what I need to do eventually, and what I would like to do. It works for me. Most of the time, I only get to the what I absolutely have to do and what I need to do eventually, but that is ok because that is what is important.
Amber,
There is great value in establishing a community in your work place. There is comfort using the brain trust that exists around you. Keep in mind your opinion has value and it is good to discuss your ideas and challenges with your team.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I've always been somebody who likes to handle things on my own, so one of the biggest ways I'm learning to deal with workplace stress is to ask for help. I'm learning that it isn't a weakness to admit when you can't do everything.
