There is alot of talk these days about rising levels of stress particularly in the work place. Lets face it we are all going to face challenging situations throughout our lives and particularly at work given that we spend most of our waking hours there. There are increasing demands on our time, unreasonable deadlines, difficult clients, incessant phone calls, budgets etc…… All these things are part and parcel of the commercial environment we live in. The advent of new technologies far from making our lives simpler have only contributed to our increasing stress levels with email communications demanding immediate responses.

The important thing to remember about stress is that it is not a virus that we catch it is a manifestation of how we respond to what is happening around us. Much of the stress we create in our minds with circular thoughts about what may or may not happen as a consequence of the events we are experiencing externally. Instead of reacting negatively to these events and imagining the worst the better course of action is to focus on what needs to be done and give our best and if there are things we can do extenally to to assist this cause then do them. This could be as simple as taking the phone off the hook in extreme situations or asking your support staff to take messages and to advise clients you will return their calls within an hour or two.

The demands of the workplace are not going to get any easier so be kind to yourself and don’t torture yourself with catastrophic thinking such as “if I don’t get this project completed within the next hour I’ll get the sack”! Instead focus on what needs to be done and if necessary ask for help or more time.

You are the cause and effect of your own peace of mind regardless of what is going on around you.