Stress at work: It's all in your head

by Lynn Meredith
While stress may show up in our emotions, our moods and our bodies, it all begins in our heads. Companies may offer solutions to help ease the stress of a job, but only we can control how we think about situations that confront us at work.
Employers can provide chair massages every week like Scholastic, Inc. does in St. Charles. They can build a walking track around the building like Richardson Electronics did in La Fox. Employers can offer yoga or meditation in the conference room or indoor plants, and even allow napping at your desk. But if you want to go from stressed out to sane, you have to do it yourself.
Stress is the body's reaction to feeling overwhelmed by the demands of a job or the expectations of a boss. A person who is stressed feels he has no control over the circumstances. The results range from more accidents or injuries to difficulty concentrating and feeling rushed to tunnel vision or emotional volatility. Workers can feel anxious or depressed, have high rates of absenteeism and display decreased productivity. Emotions can manifest in physical symptoms such as tight and stiff muscles, especially of the neck and back, headaches, digestive upsets, clenched jaw, and nerve or joint pain.
To combat these symptoms and, even better, to prevent them, you have to get control of circumstances, even if the situation seems uncontrollable. One way to get control is, take a step back from what you are doing. Take a break, even if it's just to breathe deeply for a few moments before starting work again. Preferably, you should get up and either move around the office or, better yet, go outside for a 10-minute brisk walk around the building. Walking quickly outside, regardless of the weather, is sure to clear the cobwebs, get your energy moving or calm you down if need be. Concentrate on noticing your natural surroundings to bring your awareness back from the tunneled vision you may have been in for the last few hours.
Encouraging your employer to offer chair or full-body massage on a regular basis, to hold yoga or Tai Chi class, or to institute an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) will all help reduce stress. EAPs, such as the one available as a benefit at Scholastic, Inc., offer counseling and assistance in creating life-work balance. Along with substance abuse, marital or grief counseling, EAPs assist with concerns about aging parents, finances or legal issues.
When it comes down to it, only you can find ways to ease the stress we all encounter at our jobs. Since the primary cause of stress is a sense of powerlessness over circumstance, Forbes.com suggests finding a ritual that is predictable and enjoyable and do it every day. That might be taking walks around the building, watering your plants or socializing in the lunchroom on breaks. The best advice, however, is find ways to make fun happen at work. Nothing can make stress disappear like the smiles and laughter of co-workers having fun on the job.

05/09/2008