Top Tips For Managing Job Stress

Stress is a killer. It can kill your ability to perform, to get along well with others, to maintain your physical, emotional, and financial health, and it can kill your desire to do anything about it. Having a stressful job does not mean that you have to walk around like a big bundle of nerves all day. You do not have to carry your job stress home with you every day either. There are ways to manage job stress that you can consistently put into practice. Here are some tips:

• Have regular reviews at work. Many people feel a constant sense of nagging doubt as to whether they are meeting their boss's expectations, whether they will qualify for a raise next year, or whether they are promotion material. To avoid this stresser, make sure you have regular meetings with your supervisor, preferably every three to six months. Go over what is expected of you, how you are performing, where you could use further training, and a plan for your advancement. You do not have to wonder about the direction of your career if you talk about it openly with the people involved.
• Be a good manager of time. Do not think that you have to stick with a standard schedule. Ask the boss if you can come in a bit early so that you can take a longer lunch break or leave early to go to a yoga class. Try maintaining a strict policy with yourself about what work you bring home - preferably none. Try leaving your work at work, even if that is in a home-based office. Use your free time for you, not for your work. Overdoing it may seem like the thing to do in the short term, but in the long run, you will pay for it in painful and frustrating symptoms of stress.
• Set some strong boundaries. Do not check your work email at home. Do not answer your work phone at home. Just because the technology exists for them to contact you does not mean you have to be available at all times. Set some boundaries for yourself to keep your work and home life separate.
• If you simply cannot reduce the stress of a job, take a hard look at what is causing it. If the job is simply not suited to you, it may be time to look for something else. Nevertheless, be aware that job hunting carries its own stresses. So, make sure that you are not just in a burn out period that will pass. Take some time to consider your options; get plenty of rest and exercise, and you will find that the right answers will come to you.

Click here to go to the next career article - What You Really Need to Know to Succeed in the Complex Business World

Click here to see the full list of career articles.

Click here to see the full career article library.

Make Employers Chase You, With an Irresistible Resume and Cover Letter in Just 24-48 Hours by Your Own Certified Resume Writer.

Free Resume Critique. Webpage resumes, ASCII resumes, Resume posting, Resume distribution.

Professional-Resumes.com