According the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) of employees surveyed between 40-50% have reported that their job is “very” stressful and 26% report frequent burnout or stress from their employment. Those are pretty high figures that are occurring on a regular basis. As we know stress can cause all types of emotional and physical problems, it is a wonder so many people do not do their best at work? Even in the smallest of businesses there will be stressful times and the more people who are working in stressful conditions, under one roof, the higher the stress rate and burnout rate. There are a few practice tips that we can do in order to try to reduce the stress that we are feeling at work and if we rally together those we work with the easier and better it will be for all. Talk with those you work with and let them know what you are feeling and find out if they are feeling stress also. This will help you to keep things in perspective, as some people get stressed out easier than others, it may help to hear how others are handling the same situation that you are in. Work as a team for balance, understanding that the workload can be more at one time than another; for example in my office there are some days when we have just one physician working and the day is usually less stressful than on the days we have two physicians working at the same time. If we can talk about this as a team and plan together how to handle the more stressful days it makes it better as we know we are not alone and we are all working together to make it a better day. Open communication is a way of reducing that stressful feeling, if you can communicate how you feel and why many times this lifts that tightness between your shoulders and also lets your supervisors or employers know how stressful work can get for you. Also talking about being able to say “No” to some things that just may tip you over the edge and the need for all employees to have that “balanced” feeling in their job duties is very important. When you feel that you have no choice and have to accept more than you can handle you start to spiral downward. Don’t forget that taking time for a few deep breaths and a walk on your break is another good way to break that stress feeling, it is self-awareness and then self-management that will help you to feel better. Take the time to talk about this important topic with your work team, you definitely will be glad you did.
11/27/12
Comments