“All I need is a low stress job then I will be fine.”
Whilst jobs do vary in their level of intensity, all jobs have a level of stress that is just part of the deal. It may be tight timelines, a demanding boss, productivity targets, bitchy co-workers or even not having enough challenging work to do. If we let it there will ALWAYS be something that can trigger our stress response.
A report in the Sydney Morning Herald on 1 July 2010 quoted work as the number one stress factor, followed by uncertainty about the future and finances. Lifeline CEO Dawn O’Neil said that the result of the crisis support agency’s annual survey equated to a rise of 650,000 in the number of Australians under stress, compared with the previous year.” The only thing that we can control is ourselves and our own response to workplace stress.
Think about it, have you been stressed in all your jobs? You are you after all and a friend once said to me as I claimed ‘in my old life I was a ‘workaholic’, that it didn’t matter what job I did, the potential for overwork and stress was always there if I let it be. So what can you do about it?
When you are stressed your body goes into a state of tension, your muscles contract, you breathe heavily and you are unable to think clearly about your options. What are your own stress responses? Does your jaw lock, are your eyes fixed, do your legs tighten or do pull your head back and down and tense your neck?
As you run on the treadmill of life you need to be able to hit the “STOP” button and give yourself a moment… a ‘critical moment’? to decide what to do. So next time, remember this blog and allow yourself a split second to notice your own reaction to stress and commit to changing just one thing. It may be to release your jaw or allow your eyes to soften. It may be to take a deep breathe. Just this one change can alter your overall response and allow you to see things a little differently. Try it, what have you got to lose, just your stress!
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