Enjoy your Labor day, and three day weekend!

Hopefully many of you out there have a three day weekend in celebration of Labor Day. Labor day was first celebrated September 5th, 1882 in New York City. Labor day was meant to recognize the impact of the working class on American life. How often do you feel “celebrated” in your work life?

According to a 1999 study, three out of every four American workers describe their work as stressful. No job is without every day stress and worries. You may feel as though your boss is constantly looking over your shoulder and checking your work. You may dream of becoming self employed, and having no one to “tell you what to do”. On the other hand, your friend who is self employed is stressed out because she is working seven days a week, because she has totally responsibility over whether her business succeeds or fails!

New challenges at work can bring more stress. A promotion can lead to longer hours and more work done at home. This “drain” can lead you to feel overwhelmed and overworked. When you complain about the workload, do you also complain about the increase in prestige or in pay? Sometimes we forget that achieving our dreams is not easy, and can result in more work and responsibility.

Think of the articles that you read on celebrities, where they can complain about how much the press and paparazzi watch their every move. You may think to yourself “Why would they complain about that? They are famous, what do they expect?” Celebrities are famous for their talent in acting or singing, but also because people feel “connected” to them and want to know more about them- hence the attention of the media!

Much as a celebrity has to expect the spotlight, if you are chasing your dreams of success in your career path you must expect to put in longer hours and harder work to make yourself stand out from the crowd. If special projects are not given to you by a supervisor then seek out ways to improve your performance.
There are simple ways that you can re-frame workplace stress and put that energy into more positive thoughts and feelings. Try to focus on the good parts of your job. Think about the friends that you have there, and the work you accomplish. Avoid getting caught up in others negative talk as they can make you drained and unhappy! Make lists of the tasks you have to accomplish in the day, and try to work on the least enjoyable tasks early in the day, when you have plenty of energy. Try to show gratefulness to coworkers who assist you or go “above and beyond”. If you are a supervisor, be sure to recognize your employees. Many times simply being recognized for hard work can reduce stress and negative feelings!

Stress is not always negative! Stress can lead you to achieve great things! However, if constant workplace stress is causing you to feel anxious or depressed, please contact one of the Orlando counselors at Life Skills Resource Group for a Free phone consultation. They will be able to show you the tools to achieve a work life balance and manage your levels of stress.  Visit the Our Team page to read about the counselors of Life Skills Resource Group Orlando.  
To read more about Jessica’s work at Life Skills Resource Group