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Dealing with stress - work


Fishbite

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Hi all,

Lately I have found myself not coping well at work when the pressure is on.

 

It is more the paperwork side of things. There have been instances when I have been loaded up with paperwork which affects my ability to put time into other aspects of my job.

 

There is no control over the amount of paperwork you receive.

 

I have sent some abrupt emails which I have been put on notice for.

 

Just wondering how others deal with the stress. I find I go into work sometimes on my own time, not often, just to tidy up and catch up. This helps.

 

I feel it is a bit of a character flaw of mine that I need to get in check.

 

I need to have some way of not reacting this way.

 

I like my job, it can be stressful at times that’s all.

 

I used to work out a fair bit but have had an injury that prevents that at the moment. I probably need to see a physio about that too.

 

Thanks.

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I'm in a very stressful and busy work environment and was feeling that I was drowning in work and stress.

 

Some things that helped were to accept that I'm only woman and the only thing that can be expected of me is that I do my best. There will never be time to do everything perfectly, so you need to pick your battles so that you can be the most productive and effective you can in the amp t of time you're at work. Approach it as a challenge and learning opportunity. Also having a fulfilling life out of work helps a lot going through stressful times. Learning how to manage stress and to decide our threshold of stress we're willing to live with is one of the most important lessons in life. Sometimes it's too much and it's ok. Other times it's about picking your battles as I said and do the best you can in the time you have.

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I would not send any emails at all while you are under stress that have any substance to it. Just stop. How do others handle it -do they delegate any of it ? What kind of injury -so that you can work out in a different way that doesn't exacerbate the injury.

 

I would tackle it first - get it over with -and if you love the job and see future potential otherwise then yes, go into work on a weekend or nights or take work home -do what you have to do. If you don't see future potential I'd start looking to see what else is out there.

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I allowed for some cycles of peak volume times where I'd stay a bit later or go in early or work through lunch--and this built me a psychological safety net that removes the pressure to perform everything inside a 'normal' work day.

 

This has taught me how to organize and Take. My. Time. It has taught me tighter process flows that alleviate chaos and keep me calm. It has also taught me that once I've learned to put these processes in place for myself, the actual need to work longer hours is alleviated because I've learned instead how to work 'better'.

 

I needed to invest a bit more to learn a bit more, and I consider that a small tuition to pay for the confidence this has gained me.

 

Head high, and don't come out sideways on others. It doesn't help you overcome stress, it only adds more.

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I would not send any emails at all while you are under stress that have any substance to it. Just stop.

 

Agree completely with this!

 

If you must send emails as part of your job, save them in Draft until a set time of the day, when you can review and check your own words for snark.

 

Trust me when I say, I've typed my share of snark, and then backspaced through it. I literally just did that a few minutes ago! I thought....you know what.....let me go through my day, and maybe figure out a more professional, kinder way to say this.

 

Remember, what you put out there in writing, is there forever, so write carefully.

 

I just received a Division-wide email string that someone meant for only one person. Fortunately for the sender, the content of the email string (yes, I read it) was not bad, but it was sensitive business information. If I was that sender, I'd be under a rock today.

 

Write carefully, proofread often, and Draft is your friend.

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Is the workload too much or are you not coping with a reasonable workload?

 

I’m only asking because my workplace hired an assistant who has the educational qualifications to apply for a higher position yet has at about 40 years old has only worked as an assistant.

6 months into the job now and we have removed about 50% of her workload and spread that amongst people that shouldn’t have to cop her slack. We had people in her position prior that did 100% of the workload (also educationally qualified although younger just looking to get their foot in the door) who were finished their duties hrs before the end of shift and looking to do more.

 

I’m pretty sure she believes her workload is too much even now!? It’s bizatre!

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Seems your main trigger is paperwork as in the physical pieces of paper. Have a designated space for unfiled paperwork and try not to over-clean your work space. I agree that a neat space is helpful but worrying about how neat everything is without actually doing any work to get that paper off your desk isn't helpful in the big picture. I have labelled cubbies where staff can put their paperwork for me for the day. If there's anything urgent I ask for an email forwarded to me. It's not cluttering my immediate work space. Try and redesign your area and see whether you can come up with something creative where paper isn't flying around or bothering you so much.

 

Your second trigger seems to be emails. If you're feeling overwhelmed start swiping your emails into folders. Any email system has a folder system. You can also colour flag items you need to come back to. I use the calendar in tandem with the flags religiously and diarize that way (this means I don't blow up my brain thinking about things to do this week that I can do next week). If you do it often enough it will be second nature. Your brain immediately categorizes and prioritizes. You'll get into the rhythm of it.

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Thanks Annia,

I am treating this like a learning challenge. I need to stress less and be more accepting.

 

I do have interests out of work which are quite fulfilling. I’ll have to do more of it.

 

Thanks for your input.

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