Get organized
Put things where they belong so you won't have to stress yourself looking for them. (This definitely applies to the workplace.)
Live in the present
Try to take one day at a time. If your body is in the present, but your mind is in the past or future, the result can be hazardous.
Help others
Looking outside yourself to other people and their problems tends to diminish your own concerns.
Laugh
Laughter from whatever source is known to have healthful effects. Finding humor in a problem means you're on the road to solving it.
Let other people "do their own thing"
Realize — at home and at work — that not everyone will do things your way. If you don’t expect it, you won’t feel the stress of disappointment.
Give people a break
If you see your spouse, kids, co–worker, or supervisor doing something wrong, unsafe, or unwise, help rather than condemn.
Monitor your frame of mind
If that "self–talk" that goes on in your head makes you begin to feel stressed, stop yourself and try to think in a positive way.
Treat yourself right
That means eat healthy, exercise, get enough sleep, and take time — a little each day — for something that gives you pleasure.
Change your vocabulary
Instead of calling something a problem, call it an opportunity. Use the term finish line rather than deadline. Turn a hassle into a challenge.
Practice responding calmly
When a potentially stressful situation arises, you can choose to respond in a stressful way or in a calm way. Remember you control your own response.
This article is provided by SafetyNext.com. Visit SafetyNext for plain–English compliance information, work–saving forms and checklists, daily news, and free weekly E–Zine. Copyright 2002, BLR Inc.
