Work Stress Getting You Down: Here’s How To Get Back Up!

Stressful situations are all too common in a workplace that’s facing budget cuts, staff layoffs, and department changes. It may become harder and harder to manage your stress and emotions under these circumstances, but it’s even more important for you to do so.

Here are seven strategies for how to overcome stress, and how to help you deal with frustrations, irritations, worry, anger, and disappointments so you won’t have an emotional meltdown.

1. Stop and evaluate.
Ask yourself why you feel frustrated. Write it down, and be specific. For example, you’re wasting time and could be finishing a report. Then think of one positive thing about your current situation. For instance, if your boss is late for your meeting, then you have more time to prepare or time to catch up on emails.

2. Focus on how to improve the situation.
If you just received a not-so-good performance review, probably fretting or complaining about it won’t help you keep your job. Instead, bring to your boss a concrete action plan for improvement. This is the time to be visible, to be valuable, and showcase your variety of skills.

3. Avoid negative people.
If co-workers gather in the break room to gossip about job cuts or management changes or whatever, don’t go there and worry with everyone else. It doesn’t change the situation. It just aggravates it! Rather, surround yourself with more positive, upbeat folks.

4. Be professional, no matter what.
If you have to work with someone you don’t get along with, set aside your dislike or irritation. Act courteously and focus on the work that needs to get done. Besides that person may have something you need in the future.

5. Remain calm.
Negative criticism can give rise to anger or feelings of inadequacy. Expressing these emotions will put you, not the critic, in a negative position. When the hammer drops, pause, take a couple of deep breaths to settle down, and decide how to respond. One way is to go into active listening by replying, “So what you’re saying is……Can you explain…….”

6. Pull back.
Take a moment to realize that things won’t always go your way. If they did, life would be a straight road instead of one with hills and valleys, ups and downs. And it’s the hills and valleys that often make life so interesting.

7. Smile!
Strange as it may sound, forcing a smile – or even a grimace – onto your face can often make you feel happy (this is one of the strange ways in which we humans are ‘wired.’) Try it – you may be surprised!

Career Success Tip:

We all have to deal with negative emotions at work basically because certain people or situations “get” to us. Coping with these feelings – developing emotional intelligence – is now more important than ever. A person out of control is not a person who wins friends or influences people. It also can bring down your career. Also, see Job Stress Tips.

Marcia Zidle