Archives for January 2018

Workplace stress is inevitable. At some point, you’re bound to deal with an irascible co-worker, an unreasonable boss, an excess of paperwork, or looming deadlines. You may also become overwhelmed if your job is at risk because of potential layoffs or a poor performance review.

Unfortunately, few workplaces have ping-pong tables, Xboxes, and comfort llamas. So check out these 5 more sensible ways to deal with stress at work.

Take A Physical Break
Time is limited but work is unlimited. That doesn’t mean you have to grind through your lunch break. For the sake of your mental and physical health, getting away from the stress-boiler of the office is a great way to shake it off. Whether it’s a walk around a nearby park, a healthy lunch off campus, or a quick trip to the gym, the physical exertion and change-of-pace will do a world of good.

Communicate Better
Stress is sometimes self-imposed. Are you taking on more work than you can physically complete? Are you nursing resentments over unfair workplace practices or preferences? Do you feel that your boss is inflicting unreasonable deadlines?

Get it off your chest by learning how to communicate your concerns in a constructive, positive manner. If, for example, your boss gives you a new project when you already have three others on your desk, pause to ask him how this new project fits in with your other priorities, and then list them. Your boss has his or her own worries and may not realize how hard he or she is leaning on you.

Prioritize And Delegate
Smart workers take the time to prioritize tasks and then tackle the hardest ones earlier in the day when they’re feeling freshest. If you have access to additional help, consider what you can delegate to other workers. If it’s in the budget, send large batches of work out to be photocopied rather than standing over the office photocopier yourself.

Hold The Phones
…and the emails, instant messages, faxes, and texts. If you absolutely have to get something done that requires full concentration, a few hours out of touch with the world may be just what you need to get it done stress-free, efficiently, and well.

Eat And Sleep Healthy
If you’re going to the vending machine several times a day, you’re only making yourself more prone to sugar highs and crashes. And if you’re staying up to finish a project only to arrive early the next morning, day after day, you’re depriving yourself of the sleep your body and brain need to refresh themselves.

Short-term stress is inevitable, but if high stress is part of your everyday life, you may begin experiencing physical symptoms such as insomnia, weight gain or loss, stomach upset, loss of focus, headaches, and overall irritability. For the sake of your health and relationships, make an extra effort to de-stress at work.

Everybody’s had the blues, according to the old Merle Haggard song. Though it’s true that everyone experiences profound sadness during their lifetime, most would agree that there’s a big difference between a temporary bout of the blues and a depression that affect’s one’s ability to cope.

Yet there’s one kind of depression whose key characteristic is how it ebbs and flows: Seasonal Affect Disorder.

What Is Seasonal Affect Disorder?
Season Affect Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that occurs over the span of a weather season. Just like depression, sufferers of this malady may experience all or some of the following symptoms:

• Sadness and/or swings of mood
• Apathy and/or disinterest in activities that were once enjoyed
• Loneliness and/or self-imposed isolation
• Changes in sleep patterns such as sleeping excessively or insomnia
• Appetite changes and/or weight gain
• Anxiety

Since there are treatments for SAD that are unique to the condition, paying extra attention to certain other factors is critical to an accurate diagnosis.

What Distinguishes SAD From Depression?
Depression is a persistent, unrelenting condition that pays no mind to what’s going on out-of-doors. The onset and ebbing of symptoms for SAD, on the other hand, is linked to the time of year. Most suffers find that the symptoms begin in the late fall and worsen through the dark of winter, and they do so every year. In rare cases, some sufferers experience these conditions during the spring and summer.

Researchers believe that the waning of natural light triggers certain biochemical changes. Melatonin levels begin to vary, which can disrupt your circadian rhythms. The reduction of sunlight can also alter the production of serotonin, the brain’s mood-regulating drug.

In order for a mental health professional to make a clinical diagnosis of SAD, two cycles of the experience are necessary to be sure. There are also particular risk factors for SAD to take into account:

• A family history of SAD or depression
• Women are more prone than men; 75% of sufferers are women
• Younger people are more likely to be diagnosed; late-life onset is less common

Many mental health issues share similar symptoms, which can make them hard to accurately diagnose. If you think that you, a friend, or a family member may be suffering from Seasonal Affect Disorder, contact a mental health professional to get the help needed.