Work Stress And You

For workers everywhere, the troubled economy may feel like an emotional roller coaster.

Layoffs and budget cuts result in increased fear, uncertainty and higher levels of stress.

Since job and workplace stress grow in times of economic crisis, it’s important to learn new and better ways of coping with the pressure. The ability to manage stress in the workplace can make the difference between success or failure on the job. Your emotions are contagious, and stress has an impact on the quality of your interactions with others.

The better you are at managing your own stress, the more you’ll positively affect those around you and the less other people’s stress will negatively affect you.

There are a variety of steps you can take to reduce both your overall stress levels and the stress you find on the job and in the workplace. These include:

• Taking responsibilityforimprovingyour physical and emotional well-being.

• Avoiding pitfalls by identifying knee jerk habits and negative attitudes that add to the stress you experience at work.

• Learning better communication skills to ease and improve your relationships with management and coworkers.

What do you do to relieve stress at the workplace?