Ursula Jones http://www.careersinaudit.com 2m 550
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
In order to avoid or prevent stress in a busy work environment, people should first understand its meaning. Stress is an emotional response to outside stimuli. If it can be recognised for what it is, it can be managed. When people realise stressful situations are not of their creation, they can walk away from it or, if that’s not possible, deal with it. Let’s talk about recognition first.
Recognition
Criticism is one stress trigger. Our spouses, the internal auditors at work, our bosses or an unhappy clerk at the food store trigger stress. If people recognise they have done nothing for which to be criticised, they can carry on with confidence. It is also worth understanding that people may be taking their pressures out on you unnecessarily and the stress may potentially be unavoidable.
Faulty equipment is stressful. The cashier at the food store whose register is broken or the car broken on the highway backing up traffic is stressful. People should recognise that these breakages are not their fault and relax. Becoming a member of a breakdown member can avoid the stress of being stranded on the way to work or home on a winters night.
Someone’s bad mood makes people uneasy. They wonder if they caused the mood. If they did, stress happens. If they did not, stress still happens because they get yelled at. If the bad mood was not their fault, relax. If it was, fix the problem and the stress will be alleviated.
Alleviating Stress
If a car breaking down on the highway is a regular event, leave for work one half hour earlier. The extra time when you get to work could be used for listing on a small notepad what to expect that day. Knowing ahead of time what might trigger stress is forearmed.
If the internal auditors cause stress one day, recognise that they are only trying to make things better for the workers. It isn’t necessarily anything the worker is doing wrong. If people are doing their very best, stress should not be a problem.
People sometimes do not come up to our personal standards. If this is the case, recognise that and cut them some slack. When people do their personal best, stress won’t happen. Maybe there is a need for training, there is almost always a reason for someone not meeting standards it might be as simple as showing them your way once.
When people know all this, they can move through their day with confidence. It is difficult to criticise someone, berate them or cause other reactions when they are relaxed and smiling. It also gives a good impression of new and existing customers if people are relaxed and confident.
Eating good foods, getting quality sleep, exercise and fresh air is essential to a healthy body-mind-spirit connection. Keep that connection at tip-top health to alleviate stress and its triggers. Especially concentrate on restful sleep, using natural supplements for relaxation if necessary. Valerian root is recommended for restful sleep. So make sure you make full use of your lunch breaks to eat and get away from your desk.
Ursula Jones is a writer on various topics relating to business, here she looks at stress and its causes, she also writes on internal auditing topics.
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