Basic HTML Version
Some tips that, except for specific situations, can help us control stress:
1.-
Be aware of the causes of stress, identify the reasons for our discomfort. Try
to observe it occurs in specific circumstances (at work) and then disappears
in other situations (holidays, weekends, etc.).
2.-
Several measures could be applied if stress is connected with work:
a) Prioritise:
separate what is urgent from what’s important and accept
that we cannot handle everything.
b) Don’t exaggerate.
What we tell ourselves is important. We must try
to be positive. Telling ourselves that “we can” minimises the problem
and allows us to see it from a different perspective.
3.-
Take decisions. We cannot allow stress to paralyse us. We must act and try
to go ahead. Most anxiety is caused by not daring to do something.
4.-
Be able to accept that to err is human. We can learn more from our mistakes
than from what we do right and should not minimise our ability to rectify.
5.-
Ask for help. Everything is simpler when we delegate, share, and talk to our
colleagues about the tasks and objectives, especially when there is a dead-
lock.
6.-
Learn to say “no”. We must put limits, not just personal limits, but also in
respect of our bosses and colleagues (know what we are capable of doing).
7.-
Learn to relax: we have to accept the possibility of encountering uncontro-
llable situations. For example, it is absurd to get upset when we are trapped
in the middle of a traffic jam.
8.-
Laugh more, work; it is a mistake to confuse work and any other circumstan-
ce with being serious. Controlled laughter is relaxing in certain circumstan-
ces.
9.-
Taking care of ourselves is important: Sleeping, exercising, and learning how
to disconnect is essential and we should try to learn relaxation techniques
when necessary. Eating well and enjoying time with our family and friends
helps us to achieve our goal and to forget our day-to-day problems.
The treatment for stress could be complicated and the solution may not be easy since
it involves personal and external factors that could be difficult to make compatible and,
therefore, to control. Being aware of the problem even if only in part and tackling it
without any preconceived ideas can help us to identify it and find the solution. In short,
it can help us improve the quality of life at work and in other circumstances.
sarily have to be negative. Throughout
evolution, stress has played a key role
in the survival of living organisms and
has helped us to remain alert when
facing negative situations for survival,
triggering our biological adaptation
mechanisms, either to face the ag-
gression or to flee from it. The role of
stress, therefore, is to force us to ge-
nerate physical and emotional respon-
ses in dangerous situations.
Things are different now and, unlike
our ancestors, we don’t usually have
to face a fierce animal or natural risks.
We currently face stressful situations
at work (or in our daily lives) that most
of the time does not require an im-
mediate response although such si-
tuations could exceed our resistance
capacity over the long term, testing
our psychological adaptation capacity.
Nevertheless, this capacity varies and
depends on the personality, training,
and character of each worker, and
this should be taken into account in
order to be able to analyse the overall
situation. Is there anything we can do
to prevent this type of situation by so-
mehow controlling the stress that we
inescapably have to face?
Recommendations to prevent stress