Few of us, if any, can control the events in life that impact our day-to-day experiences in the workplace. Unfortunately for many, the perceived loss of control can serve as a primary source of stress and depression. And if you are like most, you spend more time than you'd like on trying to control other people's rumors, anxiety, anger and fear.
In his book "Time Power," Dr. Charles Hobbes suggests that generally life events can be analyzed as falling into one of five categories, which are:
Events you think you cannot control and you can't.
Events you think you cannot control, but you can.
Events you think you can control, but you can't.
Events you think you can control, but you don't.
Events you think you can control and you can.
Dr. Hobbes also identifies that there are two major issues impacting our ability and need to control: Each of us is really in control and in charge of more events than we generally like to acknowledge; and some things are truly uncontrollable.
Thus when we embrace what our abilities are to control certain events and our shortcomings for being able to control the uncontrollable, we can enjoy a more positive impression of our workplace effectiveness and enjoy greater life satisfaction.
With this in mind, we have identified the following tips for helping you to cope with workplace stress:
Practice deep breathing - giving yourself mini breaks can improve your outlook
Concentrate on the positive - if you seek it, you shall find it
Set realistic goals - imposing unnecessary pressure on yourself is never positive
Stay healthy - sounds easy but achieving the same should always be a primary goal
Develop hobbies - having an outside interest you enjoy can serve as a positive way to maintain work/life balance
Treat people with fairness and consistency - everyone else can't be the problem in your workday, re-examine how your actions impact others
Avoid procrastinating - easier said than done, but when you fail to plan you can't expect for events to go smoothly.
Crystal M. O’Brien, Esq. serves as MMC’s Employment Law Manager/Corporate Counsel. After receiving a double-degree in psychology and sociology from OberlinCollege in 1988, Ms. O’Brien earned a workers’ compensation insurance claims adjusting license in 1991. She completed post-graduate studies in Human Resources Management at Portland State University’s Graduate School of Urban & Public Affairs from 1996-1998 and earned a Juris Doctorate and Certificate in Dispute Resolution from Willamette University College of Law in 2001. Immediately following law school, Ms. O’Brien served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Faith Ireland (ret.) of the Washington State Supreme Court. She is licensed to practice law in California Washington as well as before U.S. District Courts in each state.Collectively, Ms. O’Brien has 19 years of litigation experience