Even those of you who may have found your dream job are not immune to work-related stress from time to time. It is simply a fact of life that man plans and God laughs. Some things just end up out of our control and depending on the industry in which you work, some of those unexpected issues can occur more frequently.
There are lots of strategies you can espouse that can greatly minimize the impact of daily or occasional you experience.
Here are some effective strategies that you implement to deflect your stressors:
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Employ effective communication with your colleagues. If you feel colleagues are triggering your stress, you need to ask yourself why that seems to be happening. The usual culprit is unclear communication skills, generally beginning with poor listening. In this case you should try to explore the various interferences to your messaging and try to adjust your communication to suit this particular person’s concerns and personality type. Using that approach you will have a better chance of understanding their perspective of the exchange and modify your approach to overcome the miscommunication.
When you are able to meet their specific needs, the source of this conflict will likely be removed and the stress linked to it also disappear.
Finally, better communication and a deeper understanding of your colleagues should result in higher productivity, efficiency, and creativity. When you all feel respected and listened to, better teamwork and higher performance are the outcome and of course that means more targets and goals will be accomplished: win/win for everyone!
2. Espouse a positive frame of mind. A positive attitude, even in the face of work-related challenges, generally seems to result in a successful outcome. Sometimes, it can difficult to drown out those negative thoughts and feelings, especially when things are not going well, but if you are doing all you can to improve the situation surely something good will occur. In addition, when you adopt a positive attitude, it is easier to develop and maintain the solutions necessary to overcome work obstacles. Finally, better to focus on the things that are going well, and just deal with those that are not as this will allow you be more patient, less stressed and therefore more effective in doing your job to the best of your ability.
3. Develop and maintain a healthy relationship with your work. If you are truly and honestly dedicated to your job, you will enjoy it more and derive more satisfaction from your accomplishments. You definitely need a work/balance strategy in order to take proper care of yourself. The healthier you are, the more able you will be to handle stress, solve problems, deal with challenging colleagues and still achieve your goals. Here are some tips for achieving that balance:
• Schedule frequent breaks for hydration and snacks, stretch to relieve muscle tension, and even walk around the block if you are stuck on a problem. Clearing your mind with something totally unrelated to work can give you a new perspective on the issue.
• Try to avoid working overtime or taking work home with you. If you work from home set aside your working hours, fulfill them and then put away your work or shut down the program on your computer until morning. Now there may be rare occasions when you do have to stay to complete a project on time. However that should not be your regular routine. If this situation seems to be happening frequently you may want to hone your time management skills.
• Take care of your health by exercising regularly, eating nutritious, well-balanced meals, and getting adequate sleep to allow your body to repair and rejuvenate itself. That all sounds pretty elementary, however if you do not set that as your lifestyle it soon not be what you do, so make it a priority, you are important!
4. Accept that everyone makes mistakes. Many of us strive for perfection and the concern of whether or not we can achieve it can cause us stress. The truth is, everyone makes mistakes that is the human element. The good part is that mistakes are opportunities to learn. So instead of stressing over the error, try to fix it, examine why it occurred, determine what other choices you have when this issue arises again and move on. You and your teammates can continue to produce quality work, even with an occasional mistake, so just remain flexible, try not to repeat mistakes and you will be fine.
5. Appreciate that there are other points of view. When you understand where someone is coming from, and what their perspective the situation is, you will be better able to work together to resolve any challenge you face. Again, this often boils down to effective communication techniques and lots of active listening. When we understand others we can then meet their expectations and needs which will of course reduce everyone’s stress.
6. Be organized. Organization in all aspects of your life can be a key factor in most stress relief. When your workplace is disorganized, often you mind is, too. If your thought processes are scattered and unfocused, your efficiency and productivity will be reduced and that could mean that time lines are not being met. This will certainly increase the stress that you experience. Establishing systems, processes and procedures for how you organize your work and your day will greatly enhance your ability to be able to meet expectations and achieve all that you desire and in a timely fashion.
7. Be accountable and take responsibility for your actions. Assuming responsibility for what you say and do can be an enormous stress reducer. When you are accountable, you tend to be centered on self-improvement and exercise far less blame game tactics, cover-ups and excuses. Authenticity reduces stress and again, increases your ability to fulfill your full potential.[/message][su_spacer]
Nonetheless, the positive results you will experience will definitely be well worth your efforts. So try to espouse the recommended stress reducing strategies described above and you should soon find your days more enjoyable, productive, efficient and creative producing much more success and happiness!
