Stress in the Workplace Some Practical Strategies for Coping More Effectively 1,2 A Presentation for Portsmouth City Schools Kendall L. Stewart, MD, MBA September 4, 2007

Why is this important? Stress is one of the most often-cited problems in the workplace. 1 Almost everyone who feels stressed believes—and strongly believes—that stress is something that someone or some thing causes. But given the same circumstances, people differ widely in how stressed they feel. 2 This observation gives us great hope. We can do something about the stress we feel in the workplace—and in our lives. After mastering the information in this presentation, you will be able to –Identify three of the common things that “cause” you to feel stressed at work, –Describe three ways that feeling stressed “makes” you feel and behave, –Name three practical strategies that will allow you to decrease your stress in the workplace, –Explain why you should adopt these strategies, and –Clarify how to deploy these strategies successfully.

What “causes” you to feel stressed in the workplace? 1,2 Conflict Negative coworkers Rumors Criticism Meaningless work Perceived slights The failure of leaders to hold problem people accountable Perceived unfairness Excessive sensitivity Time pressure Information overload Unclear expectations Unreasonable demands Slackers Troublemakers Incompetent leaders An uncomfortable environment Faulty equipment Inadequate training

How does feeling stressed affect you? You feel –Irritable –Preoccupied –Upset –Resentful –Tired –Angry –Apprehensive –Anxious –Depressed –Hopeless You behave –Impulsively –Reluctantly –Absent-mindedly –Dangerously –Self-destructively –Revengefully 1,2 –Passively –Distractedly –Hurriedly –Prematurely

What are some practical strategies for decreasing your stress in the workplace? Focus on yourself. Avoid negative people. Seek out positive people. Focus on providing exceptional quality and service. Stop longing for people to change. Busy yourself with what you can do instead of what you can’t do. Draft a position letter, but don’t send it. Label and manage your difficult colleagues. Reframe challenging situations. 1 Increase your physical activity. 2

Focus on yourself. Why should you? –You are the only person you can change. –This decision put you in charge. –This perspective means you are no longer dependent on how others behave. –When you focus on pleasing yourself, pleasing others no longer matters as much. How can you? –Write down exactly what happened. –Write down exactly how you felt. –Write down exactly how your feelings “caused” you to behave. –Write down how you might have behaved. –Practice behaving that way so you can go on autopilot when it happens again. –Become the organizational expert at something. 1,2

What have you learned? Stuff happens at work. The degree to which you are stressed by it is up to you—at least to some extent. This simple but profound insight should give you great hope. Changing your instinctive reactions to others and your environment is not easy. But it can be done. You can do it by “becoming the CEO of you.” And decreasing the amount of stress in your life is a very good thing.

Where can you learn more? 1 Review some of the causes and antidotes to stress in the workplace at ess.html. ess.html Identify some of the factors that lead to job stress at s_management.htm. s_management.htm Read a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health publication on Stress at Work at Explore a variety of resources available for dealing more effectively with stress in the workplace at Please visit to download related White Papers and presentations.

  Safety Safety  Quality Quality  Service Service  Relationships Relationships Performance  Are there other questions?