Think Positive

5/11/08 Posted in Cover Story  |  3 Comments

When it comes to worksite wellness, dealing with stress shouldn’t weigh you down

by Jenny Quinn

Stress is inevitable, and the workplace is clearly one source of this stress. I often ask employees if they think stress is bad. They usually answer “yes,” however the answer should be “it depends.”

There are different kids of stress; in fact stress can be good and bad. To learn to manage stress we must understand the difference. Good stress, eustress, is what causes excitement and challenges people to do their best. For example, the Kansas and Memphis NCAA championship game would have been boring to watch if it had not been such a nail biter. On the flip side we have distress, which is the stress most people think of as the “problem.”

So what really is stress? Stress is an event plus how we feel about it, interpret it, and cope with it. That being said, seemingly everything in life will affect people differently. We all have those cube-mates… the ones who seem to be able to handle everything, and the ones who seem to be constantly frazzled. Does one of those individuals have more stress, or is one of them simply better at dealing with it? In my opinion the greatest stress management tool is a positive problem solving attitude, simple enough right? This can make work a more rewarding experience.

Below are some tips on how to make your work stress more manageable (you can apply this to numerous areas of life).

1. Reframe. If your immediate response to something is negative, take a second look, and reframe the situation more positively. When you think things are impossible, they will seem that way when it is usually not the case.

2. Prioritize. We often think that we have to be able to do everything, and do it perfectly all the time. This can lead to burnout, and a feeling of persistent stress which can wreak havoc on your health (both mental and physical). Make lists and figure out what you have to do and in what order, complete the most pressing task, cross it off the list, and move to the next. This is easier than having multiple incomplete projects floating around.

3. Rest. Take breaks. You need to recover. We are human, and we can only do so much. Make sure you are taking time for yourself each day, and time for adequate sleep at night. Exhaustion can make the smallest hills seem like mountains.