Managing work stress is a task whose effectiveness is intimately linked to effective strategies to modulate the intensity of our emotions when things don’t go the way we want them to. Most people need specific mechanisms to address the realities of work that are conflicting, frustrating and, to some extent, normal.
Most of today’s work exposes us to many simultaneous stimuli, almost everyone is overwhelmed by demands, there is pressure for us to work faster, more productively and with fewer conflicts, all this pressure generates stress.
- It happens almost every day.
- It is very rare for a person to be able to do their job slowly.
- Or to feel that they will be understood in case of error.
- Which in itself is stressful.
If we add financial pressure to this and maybe one or the other personal problem, the situation can be complex, so it’s good to know some guidelines for managing work stress.
If you are afflicted by something external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your assessment of it; Do you have the power to change that at any time?. – Marcus Aurelius-
One of the main reasons why stress is generated is the rapid interpretation of the facts, when we are pressured and anxious by the need to fulfill our duties, we can tend to analyze things without too much objectivity, which does not contribute to management from job stress.
Humor influences our perception and vice versa. Under pressure, we are led to interpret many stimuli as threatening, when they are not, especially when we have the settlement of an urgent request in our hands and whether there is a conflict or a problematic event.
In these conditions we can feel that things get out of hand or that the situation escapes us, so it is worth taking a minute to see the facts more coldly, we almost always realize that the case is not as serious as we thought. Acting quickly and impulsively is not a good idea, it is always better to digest.
It highlights our daily prejudices (tension pushes us to look for shortcuts to process as much information as possible). This behavior, which sometimes invades us, fills us with discomfort. This happens when, for example, we have to do one task and then another. So we say, “Should I do everything here?” It is very likely that such claims are unfounded.
The worst part is that these prejudices only increase the discomfort we were already feeling, prevent us from properly managing stress at work, on the contrary, they increase it. They lead us to victimize ourselves and see others as potential enemies.
It’s important to stop here. Don’t let these mechanical thoughts take over our reasoning ability and lead us to distort everything, in a self-destructive way, breathing for a few minutes and bearing in mind that you need to analyze the situation on a deeper level can help us.
Mental rigidity tends to complicate life. Knowing how to live is learning to adapt to different circumstances, without this meaning that one should not have lines of behavior or dominant principles, most of the time we do not have to go against ourselves in something essential, but simply give in. a little to be more comfortable.
The usual thing is that the pressure of the environment and internal tension make us more rigorous and inflexible, it is also a means to defend ourselves, preserve us and reaffirm us, basically there is a kind of fear that we will not be able to manage ourselves. situation and rigidity become the wrong strategy to deal with that fear.
To properly manage work stress, it is necessary to find or create relaxation techniques, any means is valid if it allows us to calm down and, therefore, relax, many unnecessary conflicts arise from this tension between two realities that seek to occupy a prominent place.
What all these guidelines for managing work stress have in common is that each of them highlights the value of not losing control in the midst of the storm, it is the beginning and axis of everything else. Unleashing anxiety does not lead us to be better professionals, on the contrary: it makes us anxious on the brink of conflict or error.