4 Tips for Taking Control Job Related Stress
Job-related stress is one of the worst types of stress you can experience, and some careers are just more stressful than others. After all, your entire livelihood relies on you having a job. You can mess up dinner, the paint trim along the baseboards, or the date of your wedding anniversary, but your job is the one thing in your life it’s not okay to mess up. That’s a heavy weight for anyone to carry, and it’s not good for you mentally or physically.
If you’re in a high-stress career, sometimes it may feel like quitting is the answer. That might be the answer, but first, you should try a few of these tricks and see if they don’t have you returning to work with a wag and a smile.
Go On a Cruise
If you’ve never been on a cruise the simple fact is you’re missing out. Imagine Mediterranean beaches bleached in sun and cooled by aqua-colored waves. Now, imagine you’re on that beach, kicked back in a recliner with a hat covering your face, the sound of water moving in and out before you, and the smell of tropical oil rises from your lathered body. How do you feel? If it feels good to imagine being there, imagine how you’ll feel once you’re really there.
Talk with your loved ones and start planning to get away for a week or more. Make arrangements at work so that you won’t be bothered while you’re away. You’ve earned this. You deserve this.
Therapy
If you’re dealing with undeniable stress at work, it can help to talk to someone who is trained at handling all types of stress. Some people think of therapy as a sign of failure because they weren’t able to handle their problems on their own.
The therapist won’t solve your problems, but he or she will show you ways to handle them. Not only are licensed therapists good listeners, but they can also provide some excellent advice. Whether your therapist recommends you learn breathing techniques or you go on another exotic cruise, the best thing you can do is be listened to and in return listen.
Get Physical
For some people, the best way to deal with stress is through physical exertion. If you’re one of those people it’s likely you’ve found this to be true at least once or twice before. There are literally hundreds of ways to physically release stress. Here are a few:
- joining a gym
- racquetball
- joining a softball team
- running
- Sailing
That’s just a sample. If you like sports, you’ll find leagues in nearly every city in the country, because other people like sports, too. Some people, it seems, were just born to be physical. If you’re one of them and you’re not getting that release, that could be the real root of your job related stress.
Hobbies
If it seems like “get a new hobby” is on every self-help list you’ve ever seen, there’s a reason for that. When people find hobbies they enjoy they create real happiness. If you don’t like art, it’s not likely that learning to paint is going to bring you happiness.
If you don’t know what type of hobby you would like, start with brainstorming. Write down things you do enjoy, even if they aren’t hobbies. For example, if you enjoy lemon cake, you might enjoy cooking. Enroll in cooking classes, or buy books, and learn to actually enjoy making lemon cake and a host of other enticing desserts from the comfort of your own kitchen.
If you’re dealing with job related stress, the worst thing you can do is keep suffering it. Stress is just the beginning of a chain of reactions your body will have to deal with if you don’t nip it in the bud. Start with something on this list and if it doesn’t work, move on to the next. There’s a solution for your job related stress, but you need to make an effort to find it.
