Workplace Stress
Imagine this conversation: ” Hey Joan this is Tammy.”
“Tammy where are you, your shift started at 7 this morning and it’s almost 9. You’re never late, is something wrong?”
“Joan, I just can’t do it anymore, I’m sorry to leave you shorthanded, but I had a panic attack when I got up to go to work. My husband insists I stay home from work ’till I go to the doctor, he thinks I’m killing myself with the stress!”
I’m sure this conversation has occurred in many households throughout our country.
Not just in healthcare, the teachers I see in my practice say the same thing. The work environment has deteriorated with belligerent out-of-control students, to state and federal goals and guidelines, and pay-cuts and unpaid furloughs, and, and, ……
Burnout is the commonly used term for those whose “giver” got up and left. You’ve given, given, given until your battery is not rechargeable by the routine weekend, or vacation.
I’m not a social scientist or neuro-behaviorist, but I’m someone who’s worked in healthcare for almost 35 years.
Remember Your Inner Child At Work!
One of the most common problems I see in my patients is the “I can’t do it all anymore” syndrome.
This Wall Street Journal article highlights tips on not letting work place stress get the best of you. From the trenches where I work, here’s my take on these tips:
- When you’re off your game at work, focus on helping others rather than focusing on your problems or job negatives. Help a student or intern, mentor a younger worker. Show someone the ropes. By giving to others you will be the biggest beneficiary.
- Ask yourself daily: ” Why do I do this?” ” What were the things I loved about this career?” Take time to remember your goal or bottom line. Are you in your job to help people? Focusing on this rather than the day to day trials may help alter the negative thoughts rolling around your brain.
- Limit Expectations: Don’t use your job as your soul/sole source of self-esteem. You are more than a ________(fill in blank). Remember to develop friendships, hobbies, and other outside activities. Do something fun every week, not just during a vacation week once a year.
- Look for challenges, not problems. Easy to say, hard to do-but worth the effort. Recognize that every job has challenges and look at those as a way to grow/learn rather than as a personal attack or as a burden.
These tips can help you turn around work place stress before it becomes cynicism, ulcers, ruined marriage, or a job failure.
Reader Questions:
What do you say? What works for you to make you stay positive at work?
{Photo credit: tammramccauley c.c.}
Don’t forget to:
Follow-Twitter-@DrDeanBurke
Like-Facebook
Circle-Google +
Link to me-at Linked In
Friend-Facebook
Don’t miss anything here-RSS
Newsletter, for special people, with my special mini-e-course on personal finance and my special free e-book, at no extra charge-cause that’s the kinda guy I am! Don’t you want to be special?
Tags: burnout, how to prevent nursing burnout, how to prevent workplace stress, what makes me be sad about work, workplace stress
It is amazing what stress makes people do. Unfortunately, people often hold it inside and then simply let it explode. My office has an “explosion policy”. If you ever get to that point, just tell your supervisor, and you get the afternoon off. It is actually never abused, and people respect the opportunity. it has worked well for us so far.
That’s a great idea. I may need to think about that at our office.
Staying positive for me is not that bad – I enjoy what I do and where I work, and as long as I can keep myself out of the workplace gossip and politicking, I’m usually in a pretty good mood.
That sounds good! Staying out of the gossip mill is always a positive.
Good tips Doc. So many of us identify everything about us to our jobs. Gotta diversify!
Yep, in our investments and in our life, diversity is key, though it is important not to spread yourself too thin. A good balance works for me.
Wow… I was just thinking about this recently. I found my greatest stress comes from my own expectations, which can be unrealistic. I really wonder about the affect of stress on me on a daily basis. I’ve found keeping a regular work out routine helps big time… not only feeling better about myself, but also releasing some stress.
High intensity exercise has been proven to decrease anxiety and stress. Keep it up!
Guess I need to a little more than just run on the treadmill too!
I think some sort of weight bearing exercise is important for all. Whether it’s Yoga poses, free weights or machines doesn’t matter so much as having a plan and monitoring your strength.
My day centers on my work, but what stresses me is not that, but the problems that comes up regarding it. Sometimes this stress affects my life and my health as well when there are days wherein I could not sleep. The tips are helpful fir me to release.
Practicing these tips will make them easier as well. Let me know how you progress, thanks for commenting.
We sometimes value our worth by our financial success. Actually we do it more than we should… I really hope that I can grow my financial success so that my wife can do something she I don’t think she can say the same thing. In fact I know she can’t.
By the way my acting teacher used to say remember your inner child. That openness is what makes a good actor.
Inner child can be good to a point, but not like a selfish two year old. Or a three year old meltdown tantrum….
[...] The Millionaire Nurse – Workplace Stress [...]
[...] All this investment talk make you stressed out? Dr. Dean will take care of that with his You Wanna Work Happy or Work Sad? article. [...]
Stress during the day sometimes is unavoidable, especially in larger companies.
One condition that can really amp up the stress meter is interaction with less-than-pleasant persons.
For me, I find that going for a walk or visiting with agreeable folks counteracts this particular stress. Important thing is to recognize it for what it is, and take steps to balance.
I think that is a great idea, I sometimes just go to my desk and do a little deep breathing. It helps to have positive people around you!
I had moments where I wanted to give up my job, didn’t see a reason to continue to do what I was doing. I found out that this happens when the workplace flipped to a no workable environment do to different reasons and no future hope it will change.
In those times I was always better off to move on and find something else to get my positive energy back.
~Anja~
One of my kids has moderate to severe cerebral palsy. He is 100% g-tube fed and non mobile. It is easy to have “parent burnout” since I am his defacto nurse as well.
For me, I have learned to reduce stress by outsourcing his care. I live in a state that offers personal care assistance and respite. So for around 40 hours a week, his needs are met by someone other than myself.
I finally had to learn the lesson that what was crucial in this situation is that my son receives his care/therapy. It is not crucial that it is done by me.
You are absolutely right. I have seen similar situations in which one of the parents became completely incapacitated by the self-imposed stress of “doing it alone”. So sad. I’m glad you were able to see the problem and come up with a solution before it was too late.