Dear Losing it,

Sources of stress are known as stressors. Before you think about stress reduction, start by identifying the particular stresses in your work. What, specifically, is it about your work situation that makes you feel anxious, angry, frustrated, burned out, depressed, moody, etc.? When you come up with your list of answers, address them one at a time. Managing stress is a slow and measured process, like eating a pie one slice at a time, rather than trying to shove it all in your mouth at once.

Stress most commonly manifests itself as difficulty sleeping and concentrating, muscle tension, headaches, migraines, ulcers, sexual dysfunction, among many others symptoms. Job-related stress often stems from deadline pressures and conflicts with colleagues. For these dilemmas, time management and effective communication skills might work to your advantage. However, no matter what the causes of your tension on and off the job may be, stress-inoculating strategies like aerobic exercise, yoga, and meditation help protect against the ill-effects of stress. Social support from family, friends, and colleagues is another way to work out stress-induced emotions, instead of holding them inside where they put wear and tear on your organs and immune system. Try involving a friend in your attempts to generate positive options for thinking and behaving differently in your work environment.

Foremost, it is almost always more beneficial (and stress reducing!) to change your own outlook and actions, rather than trying to change others who we may deem the causes of our stress. For further reading, try Stress Without Distress, by Hans Selye, the pioneer of stress research. The Relaxation Response, by Herbert Benson, provides breathing and meditation techniques for relaxation. In person, Alice!, Columbia University's Health Education Program, offers free one-time workshops and continuing group series for Columbia students and staff where a variety of stress reduction strategies are taught in-depth. For information and registration, call x4-5453. For more information on stress in general, see Alice's answers to Number One Cause of Stress, Stressed out!, and Managing stress?.

Alice

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