I'm sure that you've read hundreds of articles about dealing with stress on the job: - learn to relax
- don't take the job so seriously
- pay attention to your diet
- get more exercise
- spend more time with friends
I don't have anything against these articles, and the advice is good, as far as it goes, but there's something wrong.Blaming the Victim
All of the advice above focuses on what you can do to reduce your own stress level - as though it was you who created the stress in the first place. This is usually called "blaming the victim," and it puts you in a helpless situation because it lets your boss and the company off the hook: they can pretend that stress is your own fault. Feeling Helpless
Much of your stress comes from feeling helpless at work: feeling like you can't make decisions about how to do the work, what to do, or when to do it. Maybe you have to follow a strict protocol in answering phone calls, or have to eat lunch at your desk in case someone calls; no wonder you're feeling stressed! Taking Control
To reduce your stress, you need to take back some control over your job. Try an experiment tomorrow of finding just one way of exerting control and making decisions for yourself. It might be modest, as simple as clearing your desk, or it might be more ambitious, like deciding to leave a five o'clock instead of waiting until eight. Whatever you do, notice how you feel afterward. Do you feel better about yourself, a little less stressed out? Now that's how you reduce your job stress and keep it off; so one step at a time start taking control of your job back into your own hands. Learn More
You owe it to yourself to learn more about job stress and how to cope with it, and here's a good place to start. |
