One of the key steps in managing your work stress is knowing where the stress comes from. Simply check off any of the items below that you feel are a major source of your stress:
___ Work overload (too much to do)                  ___ Work underload (too little to do)
___ Too much responsibility                               ___ Too little responsibility
___ Dissatisfaction with current role or duties     ___ Poor work environment (noise, isolation, danger, and so on)
___ Long hours                                                 ___ Lack of positive feedback or recognition
___ Job insecurity                                             ___ Lousy pay
___ Excessive travel                                         ___ Limited chances for promotion
___ Prejudice because of sex, race, or religion    ___ Problems with the boss or management
___ Problems with clients                                  ___ Problems with coworkers, staff
___ Office politics                                             ___ A grueling commute

You have others? Jot them down:

What Can You Change?
Pinpoint your stress triggers at work and then ask yourself to what extent you can remove or at least reduce the impact of that stress. In some cases, you don’t have the ability to eliminate some of the sources of stress at work: Getting that other employee transferred may take some doing; and asking for a raise the day after the company announces downsizing plans may not be in your best interest.

What you can change is you.

You can manage your stress and reduce its consequences by applying some of the ideas in this section.

Start your day unstressed
Getting to your job in reasonable condition is half the battle. By the time you open your office door (if you have one), you don’t want to feel as if you’ve already fought (and probably lost) several of life’s minor skirmishes. Get a jumpstart on your work stress. Hit the ground running, so to speak. Start your day the night before. Here’s how:

• Check you amount of sleep. Not getting enough sleep the night before can be a real stress producer. Your stress threshold is lowered. You find that you are more irritable and find it much harder to concentrate. People and situations that normally wouldn’t get to you now do. Arriving at the facility tired is a guarantee that this isn’t going to be one of your better stress days. Agree?
Make a bedtime plan: What is your ideal bedtime? __________________
List three things you need to do to have your head hit the pillow at that time: (read the kids a story, make lunches, etc.)

• Get up a tad earlier. Getting out of bed even a few minutes earlier in the morning can give you enough of a safety net so that you don't find yourself rushing looking for something at the last minute and racing out the door with a powdered donut in your hand.
What time is the latest you should leave your house? __________
What time is 15-20 minutes before that?                     __________
What time is the best you should leave your house?   __________
What time is 15-20 minutes before that?                     __________
List three things you need to do to leave your house early: (have things set out the night before, buy timed coffee pot, etc.)

• Eat breakfast. To manage your stress, getting off on the right nutritional foot is important. Sad but true! When you wake up in the morning as many as 11 or 12 hours have passed since you last ate. Your body needs to refuel. You may feel fine skipping breakfast but studies show that people who do not eat a reasonable breakfast more often report feelings of fatigue and more stress later in the day. Here's a good reason to eat protein for breakfast, like hard boiled eggs, or plain yogurt with no sugar, or cottage cheese.
1. Eat protein: Your blood sugar is like a carburetor that gets set every single morning. If you eat sweets, for many people who have a few extra pounds, their body pumps in too much insulin; dropping your blood sugar; creating a craving around 11:00. Watch and see if this is true for you. Conduct a test. Eat grapes, an orange, or grapefruit at 8:00am. If you feel ravenously hungry by 11:00, you would be better off eating protein and no carbohydrates to set your blood sugar. This is also a great dieting tip.
2. Eat breakfast: The earlier you eat in the morning, the sooner you "wake up" your digestive tract to start processing calories, and pushing through what has laid in your digestive tract soaking through your intestinal wall, being absorbed and creating fat in your body. So if your "claim to dieting fame" is "I never eat breakfast", think again. You're probably not hungry because of that late-night snack. So just a hint, eat early, eat protein… set your blood sugar, if needed. This possibly can help you avoid energy and mood swings.

Less Stress During Your Work Day
One of the secrets of effective stress management at work is finding ways to incorporate a variety of stress-reduction techniques into your workday. By using these methods on a regular basis you can catch your stress early —before it has a chance to turn into something painful or worrisome.

Cut muscle tension off at the pass
A day at work is usually a day filled with problems, pressures, and demands, with little time to think about your newfound relaxation skills. Your stress builds, and much of that stress takes the form of tension in your muscles. Drain that tension before it becomes more of a problem. This may include trying some relaxed breathing, rapid relaxation, differential relaxation, meditation, imagery, or one of the many other relaxation techniques presented in these chapters. Some potential relaxation opportunities include the following: • Every time you hang up your telephone • When someone leaves your office and closes the door. • Whenever you find yourself in a boring meeting

Been working on documentation for over an hour? Try these muscle relaxers.
The cherry-picker
This stretch works well for shoulders, arms, and your back. Sit in your chair, with feet flat on the floor, or stand in place. Raise both your arms over your head and point your fingers directly toward the ceiling. Now, pretend to reach and pick a cherry on a branch that’s just a little higher than your right hand. Stretch that hand an inch or so, and then make a fist. Squeeze for two or three seconds. Relax your hand. Do the same with your left hand. If cherries aren’t your thing, consider apples.

The pec stretch and squeeze
This move is good for relieving tightness in your pectoral and deltoid muscles and upper back. Sitting at your desk, or standing up straight, put both of your hands behind your head with your fingers interlaced. Bring your elbows back as far as you can. Hold that tension for 5 to 10 seconds, release the tension, and then do it a second and third time. Find various times in your day when you can repeat this stretch.

When you get home, here are some obvious relaxation strategies:
• Take a relaxing bath or shower.
• Sit in your favorite chair and simply veg.
• Listen to some relaxing music.
• Read a chapter from a good book.
• Workout.
• Take a relaxing walk.
What is a way you can relax at home?

If, when you open your door, chaos descends, and it is clear that none of these activities are even remotely possible, you may want to consider implementing some of these relaxing transitions before you reach home. I find that sipping bottled water in the car and playing a favorite radio station or CD can do wonders to take a mini-vacation transitioning me from the stress of work to the stress of home.
- Elkin PhD, Allen; “Stress Management for Dummies”; Wiley Publishing, Inc: Indiana; 1999

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