Stress is a term that describes a situation that makes a person feel uncomfortable due to people or factors that take them out of their comfort zone. Examples of this include demanding work environments, balancing work and life demands, even something as simple as being stuck in a traffic jam.
There is good and bad news regarding stress. The bad news is that stress will always exist. The good news is that stress is in the eye of the beholder. You can choose whether or not you acknowledge a situation as stressful or just a situation that requires a different solution or reaction on your part. While you may not be able to control the primary cause of stressful situations, you have to acknowledge your ability to be in control of your response to them. The existence of stress itself is not a bad thing. It is the perception that one is powerless to handle the situation that causes problems such as physical and emotional health issues.
One type of stressful situation involves dealing with a difficult co-worker in the work place. A difficult co-worker always has time to engage you in conversation that will irritate and or distract you from your work. You can either allow this individual to upset you by his/her actions or you can focus on your work and very calmly ignore this person. You can deal with the stress of this situation by setting boundaries with how much time you spend interacting with this person and not allowing this person to think that they can disrupt your focus.
Another type of stressful situation is caused by a difficult boss. Sometimes a difficult boss can operate on either ends of a spectrum. One type is the micro-manager who does not give the employee authority and creativity to handle the work with their own methods. The opposite type of boss is one who rules by a sink or swim philosophy. He or she does not offer any support or resources for handling challenging situations. Many times there is a personality clash between the boss and employee. Many supervisors become frustrated with workers who may not share their same style or approach to handling issues. There are even cases when supervisors play out personal power issues with their employees. In a case like this, you must detach emotionally from the situation. You have to be crystal clear about the fact that you actually want to work in this kind of setting. If so, you should focus on what the expectations are for performance and and how those expectations can be met. At this point you have to disregard your personal opinion about your boss's personality and buckle down. You can remove the perception of stress in this situation by dilligently handling your work and documenting all efforts to get things done. Self sufficiency and establishing resources and connections within the company are vital steps to be taken. Be prepared to consider the fact that the job may not be a good match. Sometimes dealing with a stressful situations requires a decision to walk away. Many may view this as leaving a job in defeat. You have to remember the main point is how you handle a stressful situation. Sometimes stress is created when one reacts in ways that he/she thinks others would react and not in a way that is best for them.
Another stressful situation is balancing work/life balance. Many times things happen in one aspect of life and it spills over into another. For instance a rough day at work may cause a short fuse when you deal with the kids during homework or a spouse's extra-marital affair may cause someone to over-react to a situation or person at work. The key in this situation again is to change your response by staying in the present. This means keeping your mind focused on the issues immediately before you. You can make a concerted effort not to deal with home issues at work and vise versa. If you make a conscious decision to keep your mind focused on what is currently happening, you can take the anxiety and pressure out of the situation because you give yourself permission to handle one thing at a time.
And finally, if you experience the occassional, stress of being stuck in traffic, you should not worry about the fact that you will be late for your destination. Instead, enhance your ride by enjoying your favorite CD or audio book.
Your ability to change how you look at stressfull situations will not only change the quality of your life; it may even extend it by many years.