Job-Related Stress

Posted by Yakuti in Archives | 2 views since Jan 31, 2012 | 0 comments

by Folasade O. J.

Hi, what are some stress-busters for job-related stress? I want to give my best but I find that when I’m at work it’s very difficult to stay focused, I get really horrible headaches and can’t concentrate. Aside from quitting which I am not quite financially ready to do, how can I deal with this?

Faith

Oh!  Yes, job-related stress is one of the most common kinds of stress but one that people do not really deal with like they should. Most of us first dismiss the headaches, racing thoughts, sweaty palms and tension as being the result of staring too long at a computer screen! It’s true that the constant ringing phones, intercoms, pagers, computers and other beeping machines can cause a lot of stress but if above this you are having trouble sleeping, get extremely frustrated or angry, find excuses not to go to work (absenteeism) or even have stomach trouble along with these symptoms, you could be suffering from job-related stress.

One of the common but overlooked causes of job-related stress among African women is the feeling of failure! Most of us grew up being taught that the only successful careers were in medicine, engineering, architecture and law. Anything less was less and so in the back of our minds many of us are going through the motions and feeling like we should be doing something better.

Gaining perspective can help us a great deal. Your job is not more important than your family, friends or health. If you find yourself paying too high a price to be in a job, it’s time to leave and move on.

Sometimes just looking at a cluttered space can make us feel like we are losing control. If your workspace is too crowded, take some time to clear it out. Have a checklist of things to achieve each day and go down the list as you achieve these things.

Make friends at work! This is where you spend most of your week so having people to help you and being able to help others can reduce your stress levels. Friends also help ease tension and create humour when things become difficult.

Take a look at your achievements and celebrate them because you have come a long way! And continue to stay positive because your attitude will determine how far you are able to go and how long you can keep going. Stay close to God and let Him guide your steps and in this way you will be sure if this is the job for you or if you should keep moving. Stress is one way that we discover if something is for us or not.

Blessings!

‘Sade.

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