De-Stressing Your Workday

Written by Joy Emery

It is not uncommon to experience stress in the workplace, but prolonged stress that overwhelms is a detriment to your health and your job performance. The key is to learn how to manage the stressors in your life.

Unthought of in years past, stress-related disorders are becoming more common as workers apply for mental health days and disability due to stress. It is estimated that American companies spend at least $200 billion annually due to stress-related accidents, absenteeism, and attrition as a result of workplace stressors.

In considering stress, we must first be honest about the positive impact of stressors in our lives. All stress is not negative. Stress motivates some people into action. Stress pushes some people to perform at performance levels they never would have achieved without a stress motivator. And surviving periods of stress proves that we are able to overcome difficult times.

On the other hand, living in stressful situations for long periods of time can have a detrimental impact on our health and our work. To manage stress in the workplace, take a look at these management tips and see where you may need to better manage the stress in your life.

Identify Stressors

You must begin to manage your stress by identifying the stressors around you. Begin with a look within, then look at those closest to you, then move to your workplace. Difficulty at home can accompany you to work and masquerade as a stressor in the workplace.

On the other hand, a stressor at work can accompany you home. Be honest with yourself as you seek to find the root of your stress. Ask your spouse and supervisor to help you honestly identify those things that trigger your stress. If you don't have success on your own, then seek professional help from your human resources department or a Christian counselor.

Just Let It Go

Too many times, we allow our minds to relive failures again and again. As we allow failures or disappointments to plague our minds, we create a false sense of ourselves. We begin to live in a world of self-defeat, which causes more stress.

Let past failures be learning experiences and refuse to live in them. Admit your failures, then move on and let them go. We would benefit by learning to deal with ourselves the way Christ deals with us and our failures. Once we admit wrong to Christ, He forgives us and expects us to move on past the wrong. He doesn’t bring them up again.

Develop a Tough Skin

Some people are less impacted by words than others, but we all know the sting of negative comments. In any work environment, you are going to receive criticism from time to time. Sometimes the criticism is delivered with a positive slant and gives constructive feedback that allows you to learn from the experience.

On the other hand, there are managers and bosses who only know how to deliver negative feedback, leaving you to glean the good alone. In those situations, you can choose to ignore the delivery and evaluate the message for its truth. Determine how you might act or respond differently next time, learn from the experience, and move on.

A tough skin takes time to develop. As you receive both negative and positive feedback, you will learn how to better discern truth. This will become easier as you take these matters to the Lord in prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His truth to you, then ask Him to help you move on.

Evaluate Your Lifestyle

God designed our bodies to function with proper fuel, rest, and exercise. Neglecting any of these areas will place increased stress on our bodies, and increased physical stress will impact other areas of our lives. A healthy breakfast fuels our bodies and minds for the day. A proper nutritional balance ensures that your body gets what it needs to function. Exercise is also a key to a well-balanced life, releasing endorphins that naturally melt away stress.

Share the Load

You are not the only person who is capable of doing your job. An accident that takes you out of the workplace for an extended period of time proves that you can be replaced. Why not take part of your stress off of your shoulders by asking for help or delegating responsibilities to someone else? As you learn to use the human resources around you, you just might find that your job is more manageable.

As you use these tips to get a handle on workplace stress, don’t be alarmed if you find yourself in a no-win situation. Not all stresses can be eliminated this side of heaven. If you have done your best to control the stress in your life, yet still seem to be overwhelmed, it may be time to move on and look for another job.

You know it is probably time to move on if:

• You have done all you can do to eliminate or control the stressors in your life.
• Those in leadership positions over you are not helping you resolve your conflict or don’t offer any help.
• Your workplace stressors are having a negative impact on your health or family relationships.

As with all life decisions, ask God to give you the strength needed to get through stressful days or to lead you to a new place of employment.

A Prayer for Stressful Days

"Dear God,

"I thank You for giving me a place to work that provides income for my family. You know that I am stressed right now and need an extra dose of peace in my life. Help me give those things to You that I should not be concerned with at the present time. Help me budget my time wisely. And God, in the middle of my stress, help me see my value in Your eyes. Help me leave my concerns at the office and allow Your love to follow me home in order to be the spouse and parent You have called me to be."

Joy Emery is a wife, a mother of three, and a career and workplace writer for lifeway.com. She and her family live in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.

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