Dealing with Stress in the Workplace

Workplace stress and an unpleasant working environment is a popular topic with many clients lately. Workplace stress can carry over into home and personal life If not managed properly. It is important to recognize the signs, ways to prevent it and how to manage it when it happens.

Some of the signs that you might be having stress at the workplace can be muscle tension, headaches, gastrointestinal issues, insomnia, difficulty focusing, irritability, use of alcohol and drugs to cope, and dreading going to work. These symptoms can cause carry over into home life and relationships and cause discord.

There are many ways to help prevent extreme stress in the workplace. Having a good support system is very important. It is good to have someone to vent to and to ask advice from. Having positive self-care is also very important and will help you to be better at leaving problems at work. Exercise, eating and sleeping well and relaxation techniques, such as meditation or yoga, can be extremely helpful. It is also important to set boundaries with coworkers and be assertive in communicating when they have crossed a boundary. Some poor boundary examples could be passing their work onto you or talking to you disrespectfully.

Workplace stress is not always easy to avoid, but it is important to have a plan for managing it when it does. Here are some tips: identify specific situations that contribute to your stress and write them down. Establish boundaries with coworkers. Practice healthy responses to your triggers. Talk to your supervisor and get support.

Using these tools might not help you avoid workplace stress but they hopefully will help you to manage it better when it does happen.