How to Deal with Job Stress

Most of the time, people confuse pressure with stress.

Are you one of them?

Nearly everyone faces pressure in some way or the other. There are no exceptions. But this should not cause you to feel anxious because a small amount of pressure can motivate and inspire people to perform at their best.

It is when this pressure becomes too much to manage that it becomes unhealthy because if experienced regularly, it can result to work stress.

Dealing with work stress the proper way does not mean that you have to make drastic changes in your lifestyle or work life. Things can appear very difficult, sometimes even too overwhelming. But when you take responsibility for improving your overall well-being, dealing with work stress can be a breeze.

Understanding and knowing that there is a problem is a very important first step when dealing with work stress. If there are excessive tasks at work that overwhelm you, try to reflect and determine if you're getting close being burnt out. Irritability, depression, and social withdrawal can all be side effects of work stress.

Once you have realized that you are under stress, try to manage your stress condition by taking care of yourself, and that includes your state of mind and emotions. Increase your physical activities, embrace a healthy diet, get enough sleep, and avoid excessive intake of alcohol and nicotine.

Also, remember that being a good employee does not mean that you always have to say yes to everything that your colleagues ask you to do, especially when you feel that the workload given to you is already too much to handle.

Learn to manage expectations. If your manager is giving you too many responsibilities that need to be completed within a short period tell him the truth. Make constructive suggestions to your boss, especially about fair delegation of tasks. Do not make a commitment if you think that things will just cause you to be unproductive, ineffective, and sleep-deprived because just like everyone else, you need to get enough sleep at night in order to perform to at your best the next working day.

Dealing with work stress the right way is an important skill that you have to learn. By simply recognizing your problems, taking care of yourself, and communicating your thoughts and feelings tactfully with the people around you, you can be assured of a better, more productive day in the office.