Utilizing Coping Strategies in the Workplace

Let’s face it – work can be stressful at times.  Depending on the type of person you are, you may choose to deal with stress in a healthy manner or allow it to overwhelm you and affect your physical and mental health.  Not only can stress impact your health, but it can also affect your work if you start to become unproductive as a result of it.

Recognizing the triggers of your stress is an important part of successfully handling it.  Stress can be triggered by a vast array of events. These events can be large-scale traumatizing events that occur on rare occasions, or they can be smaller, chronic events that occur on a regular basis.

With the proper coping strategies, everyone can learn to handle stress in a healthy way.  Let’s take a look at some of these strategies.

When it comes to stress, many people find the best way to manage it is to think about what is actually within our control. Things within our control include:

  • What we think
  • How we act
  • The choices we make
  • Our attitude
  • And our communication style

Try this little experiment.  The next time you find yourself in a stressful situation, ask yourself these questions:

  • What’s within my control in this situation?
  • What’s really important here?
  • How long will it last?
  • And in the realm of my life, how big is this?

Often, when we remove clouded judgement and put things into perspective, we immediately begin to feel less stressed.  You may also choose to use physical coping strategies such as exercise and diet, or psychological coping strategies such as talk therapy. Whichever technique you use, make sure that it’s a healthy one!

Another strategy we can use to overcome stressful situations is to practice perseverance.  There are several ways to do this, including:

  1. Keeping things in perspective; not blowing them out of proportion.
  2. Being decisive and taking action.
  3. Establishing realistic goals and taking small steps in the right direction.
  4. Accepting that change is a part of living and growing, whether it’s positive or negative.
  5. Connecting with friends, family, or community groups to give and receive support.

When it comes to picking a successful strategy for de-stressing, it may take some trial and error, but remember, just like anything in life, practice makes perfect. 

To learn more about our stress management and wellness services, please contact your Account Manager.  For more information on our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or Student Assistance Program (SAP), please contact us today.