Stress can devastate your body, mind and spirit if it lingers for a long period of time. There are two types of stress, acute and chronic. Acute stress is sharp anxiety that causes the heart to beat faster in response to an emergency situation, such as an accident or danger of death. On the other hand, constant worry over work, the prevailing economy, failures and bitterness categorize chronic stress, which harms you. With the amount of tasks and things on our plate these days, it is only inevitable that many of us will have to deal with a sometimes unbearable amount of stress over our lifetime. Although stress is an everyday part of our work lives, there are ways to engage in stress prevention.

Finding your sources of chronic stress may be easier than you realize. There are many programs and websites that can offer stress prevention programs to teach you how to handle stressful situations. The following three tidbits should give you some stress help:

1. Identify your main sources of stress.

2. Eliminate stress triggers by changing the way you think of your daily life situations.

3. Practice stress prevention methods, such as saying no and engaging in hobbies.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Understand the symptoms of stress

Stress causes many physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms. Symptoms range from back and shoulder pain to insomnia and depression. Stress can lead to other behavioral problems like overeating or excessive drinking when not dealt with early on.

I recommend: Take the time to recognize any personal symptoms you are having and make note of the things in your life that are leading to them. Keep a small journal at work with you and write down any symptoms you experience after various situations you encounter. This will help you determine what your sources of stress are. The Mayo Clinic provides helpful information on the symptoms of stress. Contact the Stress Education Center for advice and information.

Get treatment for chronic stress

Dealing with stress is not easy to do alone. Sometimes you may need assistance from a trained professional or group. Everyone has different things that are stressful and, therefore, will need different stress management tools. Look for those things that work for you to eliminate stress.

I recommend: University of Maryland Medical Center has an expansive stress information center for anyone who needs assistance in managing daily stress. The Stress Institute also offers seminars and real stress information solutions for managing stress.

Use stress prevention tactics every day at work

Taking the time to gain perspective on a stressful situation and making time for the things you enjoy most are key elements in preventing future stress at work. Exercise is another great way to handle stress because it allows your body to relax tightened muscles, which is a symptom of chronic stress.

I recommend: Maintaining a routine of stress prevention activities that work for you is a guaranteed way to keep healthy and free of the resulting symptoms of stress. Take a yoga class. The physical activity combined with meditation can ease much of your stress. Mind Tools and Stress Vacation offer products that you can use even at work to alleviate stress in an instant.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Ensuring that stress prevention practices are at the top of your daily list will eliminate the need to treat chronic symptoms that are out of control. You will begin to see noticeable differences quickly and find that life in general is easier to deal with when you take stress reduction steps that work for you.