More than one in four workers in Canada said they had a very stressful day * and 58% of Quebecers say they are overworked at work **. Work stress is a reality experienced by the majority of the population. With the cold comes and shorter days, the fall can increase stress. Fortunately, we can learn to manage stress at work!
Soldier, fireman, pilot, coordinator of event, reporter, business executive ... here are some of the most stressful occupations. In fact, all business can be stressful because "this is a very subjective matter," said Estelle M. Morin, a psychologist and professor at the Department of Management from HEC Montreal.
Negative stress can be caused by overwork, a toxic business climate, too difficult tasks, responsibilities. Or all that at once. This is the case of Dominique Labelle. At 39, he runs a manufacturing company in electronics, lab tours. He then bought the company on the verge of bankruptcy there are four. The beginning was very difficult until finally growing back. His wife works full time and the couple has four children under 10 years.
Insomnia, anxiety ... Dominique Labelle all lived. "The hardest thing is the loss of control. You feel that everything collapses. You lose confidence. "He often imagine the worst and devises" plans B, C, etc. , "He jokes. His sources of stress are many, but the strongest, "is the fact that my house is collateral," he says. If the company goes bankrupt, banks can sell the house to pay off loans made Labo Circuits . "Given this context, the early years, when I got home, I did not dare tell when things were not going well at work because it would inevitably created a huge anxiety among my wife," says the entrepreneur.
A ball jar on the verge of explosion
At work, in addition to financial problems, it is the accumulation of tasks that sometimes overwhelms Dominique Labelle. "The work piles up like marbles in a glass jar. It's a vicious circle: as you lack time, you do not do physical activity, you not well eat, you do not sleep well. I had stomach pain for months, "says the entrepreneur. Her greatest fear: "Let the ball pot explodes! "It would mean a depression. It has already overflowed, never exploded.
To avoid the explosion, he had to find ways to empty it regularly. In performing the tasks of course, but also by granting pauses, breaths "to lay your head." A real challenge with work and also taking four young children. His tricks "planning and optimizing time."The contractor notes all and has his full smartphone applications that help organize.With the return to growth, it was also able to hire two people, which has enabled it to reduce its daily tasks. He also learned to accept imperfection and reviewing its objectives when they were too ambitious.
Poor sleep, feeling of being overwhelmed, loss of confidence are common signs of stress. But difficult, when you are caught in a period of tension, realize and step back.
4 tips to learn how to manage stress
1- Taking care of yourself
To not fall too low, "play sports, eat healthy, get enough sleep, take time for self and family" is essential, according to Linda Arsenault, management coach at LA Communication. The choice of activity depends on the tastes of each. But the main thing is to "lay your head not to be inhabited by a lot of concerns and be caught in a whirlwind of stress," says the coach.
2. Recognize signs of stress
Some may seem obvious: sweaty palms, increased heart rate, shortness of breath. But others are more difficult to detect, such as difficulty concentrating, irritability, lack of patience, sleep disorders, etc. Even "reporter is a normal reaction to stress," Estelle M. Morin advance. Make household rather than put to work apprehends that is an avoidance strategy. Understanding stress reactions can quickly defuse the situation.
In order not to fall into anxiety and prevent stress and you invade totally reaches your health is important to learn to recognize these states and to be aware of. "It's important to name his negative emotions, to find the words to describe," said Estelle M. Morin.
3 Getting to know you
Then, "we must ask why this situation is stressful for me, what scares me," says the psychologist. "Negative emotions indicate that there is a problem to solve. The way to handle the situation is to understand his emotions so that the brain takes precedence over the biological. This is not pushing his emotions under the rug being evacuated them, "she says. Rather, it is then a vicious circle: they feed anxiety, which see things negatively. Understanding what bothers or frightens allows to take distance and rationalize the situation, which helps to lower stress levels.
Getting to know you, it is also to be aware of its values. "Identify your values and communicate remove a lot of stress because then one is able to put its limits, to say no and make good decisions, ones that generate less negative stress," said Linda Arsenault.If someone, for whom it is important to spend time with his children at night and on weekends, takes a job that will require work at such times, it may generate a lot of stress. If he knows he will be able to refuse or immediately indicate its limits to meet its priorities.
4. Fire
It is obviously not possible to eliminate all the negative stresses of life, but can be reduced. Some sources are independent of itself and therefore out of control. But in all cases, the individual may ask actions to manage and reduce it.
But act "requires energy that has not always precisely because stress has exhausted us," admits Estelle M. Morin. In this case, take breaks, go on holiday, take time for yourself is prescribed! This is how the brain is empty, which charges the batteries and can streamline and make the right moves to reduce or avoid negative stress. "Living authentic experiences like going to see a concert by example (rather than watching on TV) allows to have fun and therefore secrete happy hormones like serotonin," says Estelle Morin.
Find its own effective tricks
Everyone can find their own personal strategies. If the overflow tasks at work overwhelms provide moments in the agenda for them decreases the anxiety of not succeeding. Others write every night before leaving the office all that has not been solved in the day and will be resumed the next day. Thus, the brain can forget for the night: it is noted.
The individual can get to prevent negative stress. When one is immersed still in a vicious circle, you have to get out of taking a break to regain energy to be able to cope with the stressful situation and find solutions.