Reducing Your Stress Level

Introduction

Scientists call stress “the disease of the 21st Century”. Indeed, people around the world seem to be increasingly stressed out these days.

In this article, I will discuss some causes and some solutions for stress at work and at home

Some causes of stress at work

The office is where people from different cultures and with different personalities come together to work. Therefore, the relationships between co-workers play a key role in the level of stress they experience. For example, a bad relationship between you and your coworkers and/or your boss will definitely increase your stress level.

In addition, the type of job you have will affect your stress level. For example, a boring job might increase your stress level while a challenging job might do the opposite, or vice versa depending on your preferences and personality. Add to that the feeling you are in a dead-end job with no promise for career advancement, a low-paying job with long hours, or having a very long commute to and from the workplace every day, and you have a good recipe for high stress levels.

A mismatch between your personality type and the type of job you hold plays a vital role in the dynamics of stress. If your job does not match your values and habits, it can have a negative impact on your stress levels. Another dangerous mismatch is between your talents and the job requirements: An overqualified worker is as likely to be stressed as an underqualified one and both may eventually decide to quit their job.

Some solutions for stress at work

Research shows that people with good time management skills are usually less stressed than those who are incapable of managing their time well.

The key here is to stay cool, calm and collected during hectic times. Focus and try your best to improve your time management techniques. Better time management and organizational skills will increase your productivity at work and will give you more free time to relax and enjoy your vacations and your weekends. Also, this additional free time may allow you to look for another job if your relationship with your coworkers is still not good enough after running out of every single option to improve it.

The end result of better time management should be more leisure time to enjoy your life outside work and to de-stress.

Some causes of stress at home

A high level of stress at work will directly increase stress at home and vice versa. It is therefore important to identify and decrease stress at both places.

Financial problems, health issues and a cramped untidy house can put a big burden on families. Eating the wrong diet, not getting enough exercise and not getting enough sleep (6 – 8 hours per night) will also increase your stress levels. On a related note, all these stressors may also explain why your children may not be doing well in school.

Some solutions for stress at home

Money management is very important in reducing stress. A family must have a reasonable monthly budget to live by. Bank loans and friends’ loans should be minimized as much as possible unless they are absolutely necessary.

Also, some rules and guidelines should be established and followed to decrease stress for both parents and children. For example, the T.V. should be shut when homework is being done. However, ‘playing’ plays a key role in the development of children, and as a result there should be a time for playing and a time for studying.

Moreover, there should be some guidelines for sleeping. Everyone should try to go to bed at a reasonable hour to gain the energy needed to combat stress. There should also be a schedule for exercising, which is one of the best fighters of stress. A good idea is for the entire family to take a nice 30 minute walk three to five times a week. This activity will hit three birds with one stone. Besides exercising, it will give the family a chance to do things together and, at the same time, it can become an opportunity to discuss various issues of the day.

Incidentally, research shows that walking and swimming are the best exercises for the body, and ones you will be able to practice till a very old age.

To help control stress, more focus should be given to eating the right diet at home and at restaurants. The white poisons should be reduced as much as possible. That is less sugar, less salt and less fat. Certainly, you should drink plenty of water, reduce juices and avoid soft drinks. Real natural fresh fruits are much better than fruit juices.

Finally, high morale inside your home plays a key role in reducing stress. For example, one good way to increase your children’s morale is to visit their school whenever you can. You will learn what they do and they will enjoy your visit a lot.

Another way to increase your children’s morale is to help them with their homework or, at least, sit beside them when they do their homework even though you may not know advanced nuclear physics or advanced math. Just sitting beside them will give them a sense of security and a big boost of motivation.

Conclusion

In this article, I have outlined some of the causes of stress at work and at home. I have also highlighted some solutions and the skills they relate to in the following five important areas:

1. Time management
2. Financial management
3. Organizational skills
4. Interpersonal and communication skills
5. Diet and exercise management

So, start today! Identify all the causes of stress in your daily life, write them down on a single sheet of paper, and then come up with an action plan to gradually reduce your stress to a manageable and bearable level.