Work can be stressful, especially in these difficult economic times. If you still have a job you're either worried about losing it or overwhelmed with the extra workload of co-workers who lost their jobs. You hate to complain, but the stress at work is wearing you down. Worse yet, you're carrying it home with you and you find it hard to relax at home.
Stress Can be Bad for Your Health
Perhaps while searching for ways to deal with workplace stress you come across a WebMD article, "Mental Health: Tips to Control Stress," and find that stress can lead to headaches, an upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, sexual dysfunction, and problems sleeping. It can also lead to emotional problems such as depression and panic attacks. As if that's not enough, the article claims that stress is linked to heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.
If you're used to brooding about the day's problems on your way home, it's time to use your evening commute as a transitional time for stress relief. Re-visiting every problem of the day is like re-living each and every one of them, magnifying the stress you originally felt every time you think about it.
Stress is the trash of modern life - we all generate it but if you don't dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life. ~Danzae Pace
Workplace Stress Relief
The following steps will help you leave a stressful day of work at work. This transition process will help you close off your day–even a stressful day–on a positive note paving the way for an enjoyable evening.
Caution: If your commute home requires your careful attention, such as driving in heavy rush hour traffic, consider following these tips by spending a few minutes quietly in the parking lot before setting out. Or stop for a few minutes at a coffee shop on your way home.
Three Step Process of Stress Relief
- The first step is to take some deep, cleansing breaths. Breathe in deeply, filling your lungs. Hold it there for a comfortable count of four or five, then slowly exhale. Imagine the day's stress being expelled with your breath. Repeat this three or four times. When you can feel some tension slipping away you're ready for the next stress relief step.
- Ask yourself, "What went well today?" Even on the worst of days, something positive occurs. Mentally review everything that went well. Everything, not just major things. The point here is to get into a positive frame of mind. So if your morning coffee was hot and tasty, savor the memory for a bit. Maybe a co-worker told a funny story, or a customer was gracious and appreciative of your efforts. Stay with the day's positive events long enough to notice that you're starting to feel better, more relaxed, and in a more positive frame of mind.
- The third step is to ask yourself this question, "What did I learn today?" There is always something to be learned from an experience. Refrain from a negative such as, "I learned my boss is a total jerk!" That's not what you learned, that's a judgment based on anger. Perhaps what you learned from an interaction with your boss was that you could be more aware of her mood before dumping a new problem on her. Changing your perspective from re-hashing the day's problems, which are no longer under your control, to focusing your attention on what you learned puts you back in control and on a positive path of growth.
Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. ~Mother Teresa
Three Steps for Workplace Stress Relief
When leaving work, begin the next segment of your day by using deep breathing, followed by asking yourself two questions to help you leave your workday stress at work and enjoy your evening: "What went well today?" and "What did I learn today?"
If you liked this article, you'll probably enjoy Overwhelmed by Work Stress Anxiety.
To learn how values affect stress read Development of Personal Values.
Jerry Lopper - IPPA member, business and engineering degrees. Jerry's passion for personal development shows in 5 books, hundreds of articles & ...
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