Workplace stress is real.

"Brain cells create ideas. Stress kills brain cells. Stress is not a good idea"  ~ Doug Hall

The Mayo Clinic educates us to some of the silent signals of stress.  From headaches, stomach cramps, overactive sweet tooth, heart palpitations, anxiety or shedding hair - your body can have a physical, obvious or not so obvious, reaction to stress. All of us have our "pain points" or triggers that cause some kind of involuntary stress reaction.

Spend some time today thinking about your triggers.  There may be more than one.

• Do you feel you have limited control over your work?

• Do you feel like you are being pulled in too many directions?

• Are your personal and professional values out of sync with your employer?

• Are you working really long hours? Putting in a lot of overtime?

• Are you relocating or thinking about relocating? Is a spouse relocating?

• Do you work on shift?

• Are you worried about job security?

• Are you overdue for a vacation, but can't leave?

• Do you get along with your colleagues or your boss?

• Do you have a jerk, bully, narcissist, Machiavellian for a boss?

• Do you manage difficulty subordinates?

• Is there an unstable work environment, waiting for the "other shoe to drop"?

• Are there unrealistic project deadlines?

• Are you constantly changing priorities?

• Is your work/life balance out of whack?

• Do you find yourself calling out sick more often than you used to?

Today is the day to start the personal exploration and acknowledge what might be causing your workplace stress.  You don't necessarily have to find a solution today, but you need to at least acknowledge it.

These three resources can help provide some answers and offer great short term or long term ideas for lowering stress - even right at your desk.

Helpguide.org 

Marianna Paulson (Auntie Stress)