Disengage to Decrease Stress
March 29th, 2011
Type A personalities could learn a lot from their laid back peers. New information suggests that people who cope with conflict by immersing themselves in finding solutions actually create more stress for themselves. A recent article highlighted the findings and quoted authors Tracy Hecht at Concordia University and Julie M. McCarthy at the University of Toronto as saying that “disengaging from stressful roles temporarily, may actually help.” The authors also discovered that soliciting emotional support from other people can increase stress as well. “It may be that their extra efforts take even more time away from other roles, thus increasing their tendency to experience conflicts,” said the authors.
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…And stepping back for sometime not only gives your mind some free time but also gives you a wider and clearer picture that can actually boost your chances of finding a solution tithe problem at hand!
Take a time out and a deep breath- you will be amazed at how many things can resolve themselves on their own!
I agree, Lud. I’m a big fan of the three-day rule. Almost any problems should be given three days before you tackle them. A large proportion of them have vanished once those 72 hours have passed because they have worked themselves out.
If you feel you’re being overworked and stressed out by your job, you need to tell your boss. They’re not psychic, and most of them will understand how stressful the workplace can get. Taking a few breaks every now and then to recollect yourself is okay, just don’t feel that you’re entitled to it. You’re not.
I disagree, Lynne. Slacking off is actually the worst thing you can do. Most supervisors will have a zero-tolerance approach to you goofing off while on the clock. If you are goofing off then make sure you don’t work in the same building as Scott Adams, he quite literally wrote the book on slacking off at work. He’d spot you in a heartbeat. Anyway, it’s not just work we’re talking about here. Home brings problems of its own too into the work/life balance mix. The point is to chill out and drop the go-getter attitude.
When the employees are getting stressed out from overwork so much that it affects them at home, some boss isn’t doing his job right. If there is a collective level of tension, you might need to take it up with the manager of the branch itself to get it sorted out. People always say to work harder, not smarter. If your boss isn’t doing that, everyone suffers. Or quit being a perfectionist at home if that’s your style. There’s only 24 hours in a day.
Don’t worry, be happy! That stress will kill ya, ladies and gentlemen. Take my advice and drop it like a bad date. – *walks off whistling cheerfully.*
In my experience coworkers and family will give you dirty looks if you say that you’ll just sleep on a problem but you really do need time to think over big issues. Your subconscious works overtime in your sleep too. Ever notice how when there’s a joke made at your expense, you have a killer comeback occur to you several hours later? It’s a bit like that. You need to do things at a pace that works for you and give your mind the space to work.
I think this is why my boss always says “Let me deal with this first” when I come to her with a problem. She is good at on-the-spot decisions but sometimes she’s always busy with something else–and mysteriously her desk is clean as a whistle.
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