10 Tips for Relieving Workplace Stress

According to dictionary.com, stress is defined as "a stimulus or circumstance causing such a condition." That definition could be interpreted a number of ways and in many different areas. Well, there are three main environments, to be exact.

A person can suffer stress in their home, social, and work environments. If you are going through a divorce, it will affect your self confidence and increase the pressure to make your spouse suffer. Going on a blind date with a complete stranger would make anyone want to throw up at least a week before they met the person, in either joy or pure terror. Lastly, the biggest stressor people endure is the problems in their jobs. The desire to be the best at your given occupation might cause some sleepless nights, or result in some mistakes. Here are ten recommended suggestions to be aware of during one of your sleepless nights staring at the alarm clock. Some of them are also simple tips to avoid certain office nuances at your own risk as well.

Do learn that everyone is expendable. No matter how secure you think your position is at work, it will never be secure enough. No one can control layoffs and cutbacks. In order to balance society as a whole, some people are going to suffer for it. Unemployment rates have fluctuated over the years significantly by either going up high, or going down to a single digit percentage. Unfortunately, the only number that would really be good for unemployment would be zero, but that will never happen. According to the latest data for the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in New Jersey in December 2007 was at 4.5 percent, which rounded to over two hundred people. Although, the employment rate was higher, it was not by large margin. It was just a little more than double the unemployment rate, which begs the question is there really difference between having a job and not having one? The answer would not be by much, especially for those living paycheck to paycheck.

Do take opportunities for advancement. If you have to learn a new computer program, or take a training course to eventually become CEO of a Fortune 500 company, do it already. If that's all it took to be a business power player, then more people would be doing it. The obvious benefits of a better job are a much bigger paycheck and a higher rank in the company totem pole. Of course, for all the pluses there are numerous minuses to counteract them. According to an article by Michael Kinsman for the California Job Journal, the biggest minus is the fact that your job performance is under a microscope, and the slightest miscalculation makes everything crumble. Look at it this way, a regular run-of-the-mill employee can usually work unnoticed unless they make catastrophic mistakes that could cost them their job. If you were the boss and made the same mistake, everyone could wonder how you got the promotion in the first place. Reality will never be like a movie with the patented happy ending. Melanie Griffith's character in the movie Working Girl would have been corporate fish food in today's society and tossed out on her butt when the mob was done with her.

Do realize that greed is not good when a jail sentence is attached. Take for instance, people who get involved in insider trading. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website basically defines it as anyone in a decent position at a company buy and sell stock in their own companies. It is frowned upon by the SEC, because corporate employees must report all of their trades to them.

Another instance of insider trading is when someone gets tipped off from a well connected source that a company's stock will be dropping, and use it to their advantage. A current storyline on the soap opera All My Children has Erica Kane, played by Susan Lucci, being investigated for business irregularities that could be accessorized with a prison sentence. Michael Douglas' character in the movie Wall Street stated confidently that "greed is good." If that character was a part of today's society, he'd either be the next Donald Trump, or in jail. Take your pick to see what has the better benefit.

Do take the time away from your desk. If you are required to take scheduled breaks at a certain time. Take them. Allowing yourself to get wrapped up in your work might have an adverse reaction to the quality of your work if you are too tired to do it. Don't push yourself to the limit when you are allowed to take some time to regroup your thoughts. The extra fifteen minutes away from the piles of paperwork on your desk might just do the trick.

Do know that office politics are overrated. Don't allow yourself to be influenced by the views of others. If you are upset about getting passed over for that promotion, push those feelings aside, even if the job was given to someone who worked at the company half as long as you have. Give it time, because that person is bound to mess up big time. When they do, you will have the satisfaction to play dumb like they have since they started working with you. It sounds like a mean trick, but someone has got to do it. Let it be you doing it. That way the person will never forget you, either good or bad.

Don't allow your mistakes to get the best of you. If you messed up the spelling of a person's name or mislabeled some paperwork, it's no big deal. In the grand scheme of things, there are bigger issues in the world to worry about besides an irate customer not getting their wedding invitation order on time. The one thing to remember about mistakes is that they always come back to bite you hard. For example, a current plot on the HBO show The Wire has a young reporter cutting corners and making up portions of his articles to get front page coverage. His bosses ignore warnings about issues of credibility for the front page "headlines." By the end of the season, both the reporter and his bosses should be both facing the music in their own ways.

Don't participate in office gossip. It might be fun to make fun of the quirky secretary, but your words may come back to haunt you if the subject of the gossip hears them. Keep your comments to yourself period. No one wants a Liz Smith at their water cooler ready to tell the world their dirty secrets. Yuck indeed.

Don't take your work home with you. Any remaining work left on your desk at the end of the day should stay there. Once you vacate the premises, the time should be spent relaxing with family and friends. Worrying about writing a twenty page report does not indicate a fun Saturday night at home. Leave everything behind for tomorrow, because nothing can be accomplished until then anyways.

Don't overlook your health. If you are sick, stay home for the day. Seriously. It's a bad idea to go into work if you have the flu, because when other people catch it and miss work the bosses will be secretly blaming you. Insomnia is another dreadful side effect of having a high stress job, because the mind never shuts off from the worries of the office. It is not uncommon for adults to have experienced insomnia at some point in their lives, and more so for people in high stress jobs, such as being a lawyer or a high ranking CEO.

According to emedicinehealth.com, a person's occupation is not the main cause of insomnia. The article stated that " an estimated 30-50% of the general population are affected by insomnia, and 10% have chronic insomnia." The article also mentioned that the best cures for sleep deprivation was to create a steady bedtime schedule, making your bedroom more sleep friendly, and ultimately learning to relax. Honestly, the best way to solve your problems at work would be to simply get a good night's sleep and return to them in the morning. The problems would have remained if you were sleeping or awake. So it would obviously be in your best interest to choose to do the former of the two.

Don't forget to leave your clothing vices at home. People who dress like the office sexpot, or wear ten inch heels should know that no one cares about high maintenance you are. The only thing they might care about would be how much your feet hurt walking around in heels that could easily dig a hole to China. Dress comfortably and respectably. Your appearance is only a small part of your workday, but large enough to get noticed by everyone. Just be careful what you wear. A first impression can never be undone.

Ultimately, remember that your job is just a job. Nothing more or less. A paycheck to help pay your monthly bills. Passion rarely gets involved in an office setting, unless it is a brief romance with the errand boy or a secretary. At the same time, the same monotonous routine of day-to-day activities takes all the excitement out of any new job. As soon as that happens, start looking for another job, because you do not want to delay the inevitable. You know you will be looking for a better job, but wait a certain amount of time before doing so. If you start looking elsewhere too soon, that could reflect poorly on you in the long run.

When that times comes, post your resume every possible way, and wait for the offers to pour in. Make your choice wisely, because that career could be something you end up doing for the rest of your life. You do not want end up doing something you'd hate doing. What's the fun in that.

Sources
http://imdb.com/title/tt0094291/quotes
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stress
http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet?data_tool=latest_numbers&series_id=LASST34000003
http://www.jobjournal.com/thisweek.asp?artid=2082
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/insomnia/page10_em.htm
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/insomnia/article_em.htm
http://www.sec.gov/answers/insider.htm