What do you do with workplace stress?  Your boss is on your back to finish a project.  A co-worker has it in for you for no particular reason.  And to top it off you can’t change jobs because the bills are coming in faster than ever.  Besides, this miserable cycle repeats itself no matter where you work, so what can you do?

Since your job entails interacting with other human beings, as 99% of ours do, you have to expect that you will run into friction at some point.  Most people are feeling the stress of the bad economy so they are more sensitive than ever which affects your life, too.  Keeping this in mind can at least help you to relate to others in the workplace. 

If the boss or co-worker is a problem with others, not just you, then taking it to upper management may help.  Pass the buck up to him or her to handle.  Another obvious solution is to try to transfer to a different department.  This might not be so easy in a small company.  It may be easier to retrain to do a different job. 

Remember though, that if you can’t just change jobs or move on, you’ll have to learn to deal with your workplace stress.  As in the schoolyard, there are bullies everywhere.  If you don’t let them get to you, it won’t affect you as much.  But it’s more than an annoyance, you may even have a legal case against the company.

Or, if your workplace stress comes from your overcommitted schedule, or unrealistic deadlines, you might be able to reduce your stress by simply changing the way you view it.  Is there ANY way you could possibly view your stress in a positive way?  After all, a large part of stress is to do with how we perceive it!  And whilst you are reframing your stress wherever you can, make sure you are also following a stress reduction program.

Whatever you decide to do, remember to recognize your stress for what it is.  Do not just take it home with you and dump it inappropriately into your relationship.  By all means tell your partner what’s happening and why you’re feeling stressed out.  But don’t “transfer” your stress.  It won’t solve your workplace stress but it will add relationship stress to your list of problems! 

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