65 Work Place Stress Tips Enhance your career and Live your Life

Learn about stress relieving exercises and techniques If you practice them often they will lessen the strain on your mind, body and spirit. Any exercise which requires deep breathing is beneficial because of the overall calming affects. Aerobic exercise is said to be good for lowering high blood pressure. Get advice about Long term exhaustion Workers who work long hours and need to stay at work until they finish with the emergency usually gather a lot of hours at work which can be difficult to get back and they get exhausted especially if they do not stop for regular breaks. See a medical practitioner if you seem to be exhausted all of the time. Take regular breaks from the computer The body was not made to stay in a fixed state but was designed for your muscle to make a pumping action. Get up and go for a walk, make sure that you spend intervals of less than 15 minutes at a time sat in your chair concentrating on one activity. Make sure that your eat well This is not about dieting it is about finding out what works for you. The best people to see to talk about will offer you nutritional counselling and will find the right diet for you based on your physical and emotional needs.

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Rekindle your interest in your job Find out all you can about a Hot topic in your field: If you are to remain in your job you need to stop your dwindling interest in your work and revamp your awareness of why this is the job for you. Many professionals have updated legislation regularly sent to them or look in social work magazines. Surf the internet for the issues and talk about it in team meeting. See what other teams or authorities are doing about the subject. Write a summary about the key points and send them to your colleagues Have a health audit Go see your doctor for a 6 monthly check up, if you feel unable to cope with work due to a health concerns you should first discuss this with your doctor before you discuss it with any managers at work. Ask your manager for a referral to Occupational health, if you feel your job may be affected Take some time off Some workers can find it hard to priorities appropriate breaks, ensure you plan your breaks for a whole year, it doesnt matter if you do not go away but make sure you have a break from work. Have a sabbatical Sabbaticals are literally a holiday or time off from work. Some companies and authorities will provide workers unpaid leave as part of work life balance.

Go to bed early Running on empty also means not having enough sleep to allow you body to repair. Of you are routinely going to bed late and getting up early you need to change your sleeping patterns.

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Have a mentor If you need to progress your career and it is not working consider a mentor who can help you look at what skills and learning you need to develop. You can model yourself on a mentor, they are supposed to inspire you by their achievements and support you to get to place where you want to get to. Ask them how they deal with their stress nad take their advice. Keep your desk uncluttered Workers who have to spend a lot of time at their desks should bare in mind the aspect of how a cluttered desk can create chaos in their working day. Keep things available such as important manuals, pens and a pad. Shred confidential work as you go. Have a clear out day and regular administration days to complete work. Cleanliness on your desk is important especially if you eat at your desk. Aim not to eat at your desk. Do not take your work home Taking work home means that you do not have a break and work and home boundaries become blurred. Your home should be a space which makes you happy, if your work is not making you happy then this will impact on your home live. If you have to take work home make sure that you have a clean space to do it in and take everything back to work including things which need to be shredded. Try doing work in the library or some other place like an internet caf. You can also do work in free inspiring surroundings such as museums and parks.

Understand the difference between types of trauma and its effects on you Post traumatic stress disorder is known as a direct result of being traumatised by something that happened to you, vicarious trauma is what happens to people in the caring profession who are secondary witness to other peoples trauma. It can creep up on workers insidiously.

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Make sure you understand the affects, aim to contextualise what you are hearing in relation to the world that you live in, seek appropriate support, request debriefing sessions, managers should offer workers debriefing sessions, group supervision and counselling especially when workers are dealing with emotionally taxing abusive situations.

Have a hobby Research suggests that having a hobby can release tension from a stressful job. You do not need to worry if is taxing as the affect is to take your mind of the work and rebalance and focus your attention on your needs. Carry a snack in your bag If you keep having to miss meals because of your work load prioritise carrying around snacks in your bag and cans of soup in your drawer at work Get your basic needs met Take care of each other in your team to meet your basic needs for food. Get together as a team to sort out cover for food breaks and even buying food for each other.

Work together as a team to get your needs met Pulling together to arrange a birthday cake, the lottery etc is good team building if everyone wants to join in. If your team is not good at this then ensure you make friendships with others in your organisation to go to lunch with or have a chat. Try not to get lost Carry a pocket A-Z, route map on your person/ in your bag in case you get lost when you start a new job or travelling. If you are new to an area you should ensure that during your induction you obtain a good

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orientation of the places you have to travel to. You also need to know the areas that are not safe to wander into and where you maybe vulnerable at certain times. Always let your colleagues know where you are going

Be careful about your personal safety Some workers have jobs which makes them susceptibly to harm. Agree a code to alert people that you are in danger if you ring in or if they ring you. Ensure the full address of where you are visiting is left and that you know who will be responsible for finding out about your welfare. Let people know if you have left the visit safely. Make sure all new members of the team know the safety procedures.

Invest in a digital microphone Immediately take down your notes following a complex or a long interview. It is not easy to write contemporaneous notes however social work requires them especially when the service user is in dispute with the local authority. Do not use your microphone to tape any conversations; this would break Human Rights law and data protection.

Write a list at the beginning of the day of not too many things to do Long lists are frustrating especially if you have a job where you get many interruptions. Tick them off as you go and make a game of achieving its completion. Congratulate yourself on your achievements and make a new list at the beginning of the next day.

Learn a new skill

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Creativity will help you to remain vital at work and learning a new skill either physical or one which takes aptitude will help you focus on your needs and boost your self esteem. It offers balance to your life and lessens the impact of stress.

Stay up to date with important information so that you will not be caught out when the new law/ processes come in. Once a week check out the government website or subscribe to a feed on the internet.

Retrain If this is not the job for you have a strategy to get out which could be retraining. Take care not to provide your self with more stress whilst undertaking retraining, however the challenge of starting a new career for yourself may counterbalance the stress that you might feel in your current job. Seek appropriate advice about retraining and see if you will be allowed paid or unpaid study time.

Use a life coach Go see a life coach to discuss your career plan if it is not going right

Training Find out about free bursaries and free training. Contact the national or local association and find out if they have training to prevent burn out

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Report writing Use concise language when writing reports, then under each point expand on your argument using evidence from direct work with service user / customers or other professionals

Incorporate research in your work Keep a list of useable research on 5 main topics to do with your job and service users, expand on these over time

Get some help with report writing Agree with a colleague reciprocal proof reading but make sure that personal details are not provided and documents are not mislaid.

Use the find key word tool in word documents Most social workers have never been on Word Document training, ask to go on one or get a good book. There are lots of useful tools which will help you write your reports.

Communicate clearly Clearly communicate your needs as a worker but be respectful and considered. Practice public speaking and talk through any anxieties that you may have about reporting information verbally.

Seek clarity from unclear communication

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Request clarity of roles and responsibilities in writing from those who are decision makers

Make good use of supervision Keep your own notes and come to supervision prepared. Ensure you set up a work plan and review it prior to supervision. Bring forms to supervision which you may need signing immediately such as training requests, timesheets, and annual leave requests, and make sure these issues are put on the agenda so that they are covered.

Sort out your work permit Ask for time off work to do this and get good legal advice if you have problems

Reconnect to the reason why you became a worker in your profession Keep in mind the reason(s) you became a worker in your profession and make a list when you seem not to be clear why you do the job you do. Know that you make a difference. If you can not do this then consider if this is the job for you. Devise your own induction If you are new to the organisation and no one has set up an induction for you make sure you find out the key operational documents and the how things work. Look on the internet and contact the Human Resource department.

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Get through your probation Make sure you are aware of what you need to do at the outset and request written in formation.

Celebrate your achievements Undertake a time line of things you have achieved, make sure they are in your CV or rsum Know what you are entitled to and the procedures

Annual leave, dress code, equality issues, harassment, bullying, violence, complaints policy, disciplinary procedure, grievances, whistleblowing procedures, these are all procedures which you need to be aware of in your job.

Use Work plans Devise work plans for yourself and for your cases/ customers/ projects. Managing your work by objectives is a key process in the achievement of coordination, control, completion of tasks, development, and clarity. Your plans should be flexible, and you should use them to chart progress or to problem solve specific areas. Review and evaluate work plans. They will lessen stress as it arises in your work. Stop going on social network sites and do your work instead

You really have to consider if you want to spend all day on the internet in social network groups or do you want to get your work done so that you so not feel the pressure from service users, customers or managers. You should be aware that some organisations monitor the use of the internet and they can trace the hours you have spent accessing certain

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sites. But you should use it to get good information from reputable places and you can get good feedback to questions you pose.

Spend time with you family and friends even when you are work This is essential not just physically but mentally. Have pictures and visual reminders of your children, family and friends around you as your happy thoughts to counterbalance the effect of working in a stressful environment

Aim for a win- win situation with managers and service users.

Do not think of compromising as backing down, a win- win situation is something that you should aim for even if you do not know how to achieve it. It is a mind set that if practiced will leave you and the person you are negotiating with feeling positive from your interaction with each other. You will begin to use language which reflects win- win. Examples of this are agreeing to disagree, understanding a perspective which has merits but does not fit into the context you are working in, respecting difference. Do not get caught up in Office gossip This type of communication is destructive and can take a toll on your wellbeing and even affect your career. Stay clear of gossiping and do not take sides in a dispute Reminders Put up cards to remind yourself of relevant new legislation and say them several times a day. They will seek into your subconscious

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and act as a reminder about outcomes, keeping you focussed on the outcome of the job so that if you have a tendency to go on assessing you have a reminder in front of you.

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Understand how you react to certain situation Acknowledge for yourself that this is a stressful time for you. Seek appropriate counselling if your feelings impact on your work or your daily living. Build up your self esteem The impact of the issues you are dealing with might knock your self esteem and this might affect your work as well as your coping mechanisms. You may benefit from getting re-grounded and doing simple and effective exercises either with support or on your own. Get the support you need Try creating structures around you that help to look after you; this can be especially important of you are not able to discuss the issues with your peers or you are not getting appropriate support from your manager. Such structures would include support groups were you can speak with people who may be going through the same or similar issues as you; friends who are supportive and can be considered about the issues. Make use of work based wellbeing assistance Counselling if appropriate for you some short term therapeutic work could be offered to get you through the situation. Many organisations offer work based employment counselling schemes which are confidential or you could ask you medical practitioner to suggest an appropriate counsellor for you

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Do more than take a deep breathe Stress relieving techniques in work are beneficial especially if you have to go into meetings to discuss difficult matters or if you have conflict with someone who you still have to have some kind of contact with, consider self administered techniques which will create immediate relief if practiced such as acupressure, affirmations, deep breathing and office yoga. Develop goals By setting goals and devising an action plan to achieve your goals, you can actively reduce stress levels and move forward in your life in areas where you may be stuck. Consider alternative therapy There are wealth of alternative therapies which can help you with your taking care of stress, what is important is that you find the right one for you and you evaluate if it is working. DO not spend lots of time and money on something that is not right for you. Sort out your attitude to money Sometimes people get stressed by their financial situation not just because they are in debt but because they have attitudes about money which creates conflict in their lives. Get effective debt counselling and sign up for money saving tips. Have a discussion with a money expert about how you can become more relaxed about money. If you are not getting the right pay at work seek good legal advice. Have humour in your life Research indicates that happy hormones are released when people are laughing. If you have difficulty remembering to have humour and therefore release tension in the work place then get

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reminders emailed to you or subscribe to an appropriate magazine. Take regular readings of your sense of humour. Join a support group

Deal with work place bullying and harassment

Have regular pampers Practice conflict mediation techniques Always approach a conflict situation calmly. If you do not have the experience in dealing with conflict situations and it arises often in your job find out what training you can go on to develop your skills.

Do not let emails run your life Deal with emails by checking less often, reply to urgent ones, at the end of the day try to clear your inbox. Do not forget to turn your out of office message on and leave a message asking people not to put emails in your inbox whilst you are away. When you return to work start with the latest one or see if you can deal with themes or threads before you deal with individual emails

Play a game of completing your action list Making things a game means that you take things more light heartedly. If you find yourself in competition you should re evaluate the usefulness of the game

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Manage your time effectively This also means factoring into your day breaks and time to yourself. If you have time management problems you should seek support and let people know if you will not meet deadlines. If you do not communicate that you are going to be late not much can be done about it and you will get into trouble and be anxious.

Try keeping a month to a view diary Map out your month not your week An overview of what you will be doing for the month is much better than a short sighted view of a week. It takes the desperation away from making it through until Friday night and gives you a sense of control and a sense of living instead of just surviving.

Turn your mobile off when you are driving Try spending longer and longer periods with your mobile off outside of office hours

Stay inspired The dictionary defines inspiration as "The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative." When someone inspires you, you're moved to take creative action.

Take 15- 20 minutes exercise in the morning There is a belief that this is more beneficial than exercises at the end of the day as it helps you let go of excess weight and relaxes you, making

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you happier and starts off your day with you spending time on your wellbeing.

Stay focused Stay present and focused to what you are doing at anyone moment and give 100%. You will make fewer mistakes. People who are anxious about what will happen constantly live in the future build in ongoing anxiety which whittles away their wellbeing

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