Let stress work for you

Even in a booming economy, people suffer stress. The causes include excessive workload, tension between co-workers, disrespectful bosses, botched interviews and missed opportunities. Rapid changes in jobs lead to more stress. So, what do you do? Here are some suggestions?

Even in a booming economy, people suffer stress. The causes include excessive workload, tension between co-workers, disrespectful bosses, botched interviews and missed opportunities. Rapid changes in jobs lead to more stress. So, what do you do? Here are some suggestions…

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Don't fight it. Make stress work for you by recognising that you are stressed. We can't alter the factors that cause stress but only our reaction to it.

In other words, we become resilient to stress. Resilience is what happens as a result of coping well or recovering from losses. It's more than bouncing back, it means taking risks, learning to live with uncertainty, and solving problems creatively. We do this in three ways:

Identify the stress factors
Identify what is stressful and solve the problem creatively. For example, launching or changing a career is particularly stressful for young adults. By recognising this fact, you can stop floundering.

Relocation is another stressful situation. You're not just changing jobs; you're changing neighbourhoods, leaving friends and relatives and all the while looking for new people to support you, like doctors, dentists, car mechanics, hair stylists, baby-sitters et al.

Good things, like promotions and raises, buying a home and having a baby are stressful too. Often getting what we want, ironically, creates new burdens.

Find healthy work environment
Work for a company that matches your values. Find companies that are committed to training and development. Continue with your education. Learning is one of the best strategies to make stress work for you and help you become resilient.

Follow an individualised plan of action
One such plan is the coach's plan, which is designed to keep successful athletes mentally fit.   
Source: Monster.com