Ten Tips to Reduce Leadership Stress

The need for stress management tools in the workplace is increasing steadily as expectation rise and resources become more limited.

Numerous sources have referred to chronic workplace stress and burnout as becoming an epidemic.

Reports from major health services and surveys in various business publications report alarming statistics about the health consequences of chronic stress, and the associated cost to organizations of stress-related absences, accidents, poor productivity and morale problems.

Why are stress management issues so common? As people are working harder but taking less time off than ever before, the level of their stress continues to increase in proportion.

Also, the days are gone when people worked for the same company for 30 years with the guarantee of receiving a solid gold watch at their retirement party.

Job changes are more frequent now, and that's an additional source of stress.

How do you know if you're overstressed? Ask yourself the following stress related questions. Do you:

• Rush in a panic to work every morning?
• Eat lunch at your desk to get as much work done as possible?
• Feel too exhausted at the end of the day to enjoy activities at night?
• Ruminate as you try to fall asleep about what needs to be done the next day?
• Dream (or have nightmares) about work related issues?
• Put off vacations or other family activities because you're too busy with work?

If you answered yes to at least two of these stress management questions, stress is probably affecting your life more than you realize. You may benefit a great deal by utilizing some basic stress management tools.

It's not uncommon for overstressed people to either ignore or fail to recognize the signs that they're over-committed to their work. However, the physical and emotional consequences of working as hard and as fast as you can every day are serious, and include increased risk of a heart attack, decreased resistance to infections, anxiety and more.

Let’s focus now on some good news about effective stress management techniques?

Fortunately, the process of redesigning an overstressed life can be relatively straightforward, and includes a full assessment of stress-related activities in one's daily and weekly routine.

Stress management actions require an awareness that there is a problem to begin with and a personal commitment to identify and change the stress-related behavior.

Here are Ten Stress Reduction Tips you can use to reduce your workplace stress:

1. Prioritize! Don't try to get everything done at the same time. Attack the most important items first.
2. When you get interrupted by someone at work, put them on your schedule and tell them you'll get back to them at an agreed-upon time. Maintain ownership of your own time.
3. Don't eat lunch at your desk, and don't bring work with you to lunch. Schedule some down time.
4. Use deep-breathing exercises or relaxation techniques to de-stress during the day. Go for a 20 minute walk every day.
5. Reduce the noise in your environment by shutting your office door if you have one. Take control of your environment.
6. Don't keep things bottled up. Let co-workers know if something they're doing is causing you stress. Address things calmly and professionally.
7. Eat right, sleep right and exercise regularly (with your doctor's permission).
8. Try leaving the radio off in your car on the way home. Many people find that the quiet helps them unwind and is a basic stress management practice.
9. When at home, don't dwell on work-related problems. Write them down, put them out of your mind and add them to your schedule the next day. Understand that there is a time and a place for everything.
10. Use peers and associates as a sounding board for discussing work-related issues and minimize bringing issues into the family home.

Even if you're not feeling particularly stressed right now by your work life, these stress management ideas can help you continue to enjoy your work life to its fullest and protect you against future stresses.

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David A. Weiman, Psy.D. is the author of Managing Stress, a concise stress management guide for executives and professionals. Dr. Weiman is a management psychologist and former senior executive who has authored articles, presented seminars, and consulted with executives one-on-one about stress-related issues.

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