Stress costs American businesses more than $300 billion a year in terms of poor performance, absenteeism, and health care costs.
Common sources of stress include:
- Personal problems. Concern about finances, the illness of a family member or friend, struggles with children, or relationship problems.
- Lifestyle changes. Getting married, having a baby, starting a new job, the death of a loved one, or even moving to a new home or neighborhood.
- Job problems. New assignments, a new boss, performance appraisals, relationships with co-workers — even a promotion!
- Everyday hassles. Commuting, screaming children, crowded stores, cooking, cleaning, and chauffeuring the kids to their activities, and so forth.
Here are four proven methods that can help you, and your employees, reduce, eliminate, or manage stress:
- Lifestyle Management: Exercising or even basic stretching or yoga will give you endurance and energy to get through stressful events. Proper diet and adequate sleep are essential to successful stress management.
- Stress Avoidance: Do something about the minor annoyances of life. For example, taking an alternate route to work or leaving a few minutes earlier could mean you miss the traffic. Understand your limits: Accept that some things are — and might always be — out of your control.
- Stress Therapy: Keep a sense of humor about stressful situations. Try to make some time each day for relaxation. That could just mean some quiet time doing something you enjoy. Talking over the things that stress you with someone you trust and respect can also be a big relief.
- Organization: Set priorities. Develop a basic routine for your life – a daily framework for what you’ll be doing. Use a calendar or personal organizer to write everything you have to do each day. Finally, stay flexible; the best laid plans will often need to be changed due to any number of reasons.
Follow these steps and remove your distress!
