Anxiety – Lakeland Counselors

https://lakelandcounselors.com Fri, 05 Feb 2021 18:40:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.13 https://lakelandcounselors.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cropped-Logo-32x32.png Anxiety – Lakeland Counselors https://lakelandcounselors.com 32 32 7 Tips for Managing Holiday Stress https://lakelandcounselors.com/7-tips-for-managing-holiday-stress/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/7-tips-for-managing-holiday-stress/#respond Thu, 24 Dec 2020 23:45:35 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=546

It’s the holiday season! What an exciting time of year! Unfortunately, this time of year can bring on anxiety for some people. The roads are busier; more money is spent; and you are expected to deliver a “perfect” day for the family. These expectations can cause unnecessary stress. Well, don’t let it. It’s your day too! Here are a few tips to reduce stress and enjoy “the most wonderful time of the year.”

Have a set budget from the start and shop smart. It’s easy to get caught up in the Christmas spirit and spend more than anticipated. This can lead to stress when the holidays are over. To avoid this, make a list of what you are going to buy and do some research to find the best prices.
To avoid getting frustrated with the holiday traffic, try to go at times when less people are on the roads. I prefer to shop online to avoid the traffic altogether.
When you start to feel overwhelmed, remember to take a few deep breaths and step away. Do something nice for yourself. Relax!
The holiday season has a way of motivating us to create a perfect day. Well, that never seems to happen. So, understand that your day will likely have a few flaws and that’s okay. Keep perfection for the Hallmark movies, and just enjoy your day.
The holidays may remind you of a loved one’s absence. This may cause you to be sad. While it is perfectly normal to miss your loved ones during the holidays, don’t let that stop you from enjoying the people who are in your life now.
Are you worried about gaining weight during the holiday season? If so, make a plan of how you will eat. Just visualizing what you plan to eat will help you to stay on track. Avoid buying unhealthy foods for the home, and drink a full glass of water before you start to eat Christmas dinner. You can also volunteer to bring a few healthy dishes to the dinner, such as mashed cauliflower (instead of mashed potatoes).
The most important tip of all is to stay focused on the true meaning of the holiday season, which is to give and experience joy, love, and peace.

Wishing everyone a very happy and stress-free holiday season!

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/7-tips-for-managing-holiday-stress/feed/ 0 Six Strategies to Stay Motivated https://lakelandcounselors.com/six-strategies-to-stay-motivated/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/six-strategies-to-stay-motivated/#respond Thu, 24 Dec 2020 23:41:56 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=544

Most of us have something we would like to change about ourselves, or have been told we need to change. Change is hard. I think for the most part, we have good intentions when we decide to make a change. We start out motivated and determined. Some people follow through and make the changes needed, while others don’t quite make it to the finish line. Why is that? Why doesn’t everyone who commits to making a change, stay dedicated until reaching the set goal? There is no quick answer, but I do have some insight that may help you to avoid the pitfalls faced when trying to stay motivated.

Monitor your thoughts. Distorted thinking is often caused when trying to commit to too much, or having failed at making change in the past. All-or-nothing thinking is a common type of distorted thinking that hinders change. An all-or-nothing mindset causes disruption in the path to change when something does not go as planned. Instead of accepting that obstacles may slow down the process, the all-or-nothing thinker sees failure.

et realistic and attainable goals. To say you are going to lose five pounds a week, may be unrealistic. The first week you miss your goal may cause you to doubt yourself and lead you to justify eating whatever you want. Avoid setting unrealistic goals. Instead, set a goal that is challenging, but attainable. For example, cutting out late night snacks and sugary drinks for one week is less overwhelming than never eating sugar or carbs again.

Use your resources. You’ve made a goal to quit smoking, good. In an ideal world that would mean you throw away your cigarettes and don’t buy more. Unfortunately, quitting smoking can be challenging. Thankfully, there are multiple smartphone applications and online and community resources at your disposal. Use them. Call on friends or family to keep you accountable and to provide support. The Tobacco Free Florida website offers tools that can help you reach your goal.

Make a commitment. You must commit to making the change, if you want the change to happen. Some people create a visual aid to display steps they will take to reach a goal. Others will post on social media or tell someone their plans to be held accountable for following through with the change. Be creative, but more importantly, make that commitment.

Identify what stage of change you are in.

Are several people telling you to make a change, but you disagree? You could be in the pre-
contemplation stage where you are unaware of the problem (ask for evidence to support the
claims).
Maybe you are aware you need to make a change and know what you need to do to change. If
so, you are in the contemplation stage (identify barriers and review reasons for and
against change).
If you intend on taking action to make a change, then you are in the preparation stage (set
realistic and attainable goals and utilize resources).
Moving from intention to make a change, to practicing new behaviors means you are in the
action stage (anticipate obstacles).
Now that your behavior has become routine, you are in the maintenance stage (reward
yourself, anticipate obstacles).

Stay motivated. If this were easy, you would not be reading this article. I have no great secret to share on how to stay motivated. My suggestion is to consider from the beginning that staying motivated may be a problem. Remember why you started this journey. Reward yourself for small successes and have a large reward for reaching your ultimate goal. Have a competition with others who have a similar goal and find nonjudgmental support for days you feel like giving up.

Do what you can with all you have, wherever you are –Theodore Roosevelt

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/six-strategies-to-stay-motivated/feed/ 0 Mel B Speaks out on how EMDR is Helping Her https://lakelandcounselors.com/mel-b-speaks-out-on-how-emdr-is-helping-her/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/mel-b-speaks-out-on-how-emdr-is-helping-her/#respond Thu, 24 Dec 2020 23:26:55 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=538

Mel B, a former Spice Girl, is shining light on her experience with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and her success with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy (Shannon-Karasik, 2018). In short, EMDR therapy has patients focus on left-to-right eye movements, while focusing on traumatic memories, which leads to change in how the traumatic memories are stored in the brain. Mel B has positive reviews of EMDR and hopes that speaking out will empower others to seek treatment for mental health concerns.

Numerous research has been conducted on the effectiveness of EMDR. In studies where EMDR was used on Veterans with combat-related PTSD, there were significant improvements in PTSD symptoms (McLay et al., 2016). Marich (2010) found that EMDR was an essential and effective part of addiction treatment. Another study found that EMDR played a significant role in helping a young child who experienced a single incident trauma resolve PTSD symptoms within a 5-month time frame (Banbury, 2016).

Many researchers believe that EMDR is successful because talk therapy only deals with the left side of the brain, while EMDR stimulates both brain hemispheres (Huso, 2010). Since humans think seven times faster than they talk, it allows for an enhanced mental experience.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy can help with many conditions:
• Anxiety
• Complicated grief
• Phobias
• PTSD
• Stress reduction
• Addiction
• Body dysmorphic disorders
• Personality disorders
• Pain management
• Conduct disorders
• Obsessive compulsive disorder

For more information about EMDR or to schedule an appointment, please contact Borum and Associates at 863-608-9392.

Banbury, N. M. (2016). Case study: Play therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for pediatric single incident posttraumatic stress disorder and developmental regression. International Journal of Play Therapy, 25(3), 166-174. doi:10.1037/pla0000026

Huso, D.R. (2010). Treating child abuse trauma with EMDR. Social Work Today, 10(2), 20.

McLay, R. N., Webb-Murphy, J. A., Fesperman, S. F., Delaney, E. M., Gerard, S. K., Roesch, S. C., & … Johnston, S. L. (2016). Outcomes from eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in active-duty service members with posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 8(6), 702-708. doi:10.1037/tra0000120

Marich, J. (2010). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in addiction continuing care: A phenomenological study of women in recovery. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 24(3), 498-507. doi:10.1037/a0018574

Shannon-Karasik, C. (2018). Why it’s so important that Mel B is seeking treatment for PTSD. Women’s Health. Retrieved from https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a22839642/mel-b-treatment-ptsd/

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/mel-b-speaks-out-on-how-emdr-is-helping-her/feed/ 0 Is Chronic Stress Hurting You? https://lakelandcounselors.com/is-chronic-stress-hurting-you/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/is-chronic-stress-hurting-you/#respond Thu, 24 Dec 2020 23:23:14 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=535

Let’s face it, we all experience stress at some point in life. A normal stress response is short-lived. For example, someone startles you from behind (stressor). Your brain and hormone system release a series of stress hormones (stress response), which enables you to think quickly and respond appropriately (fight-or-flight response). Once you realize you are not in danger, the stress hormones return to normal. Unfortunately, most stressors stem from day-to-day issues like bills, work, family disagreements, deadlines, and peer relationships. These constant stressors keep our bodies stuck in a state of stress response, which leads to multiple health and emotional consequences such as weight gain, decreased sex drive, impaired immune system, fatigue, chronic headaches, poor concentration, irritability, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, and depression.

While stress is unavoidable, there are ways to improve how you respond. First, consider how the stressor will impact you in the long-term. Will it even be an issue a year from now? Try altering the stressor by learning to say no to things that cause stress, or speaking up about your needs and wants. For example, you have let your adult son move in temporarily with his wife, while they save money for a new home. They are not contributing to the household and you are getting upset because your food, water, and electric bill have increased. Have you let them know your concerns? Have you asked for a set amount to be paid by them? Next, learn to adapt to the stressor by changing your view of the stressor from negative to positive. Take the above scenario, instead of allowing yourself to get frustrated, look at the situation as you are doing something good to help your son and his new wife to get ahead. Finally, accept the stressor by learning to let go of things you cannot control. In this case, you do have control over what happens in your home and if the situation becomes too stressful, you can ask them to contribute or find another place to stay. The control is now out of your hands as it is up to them to respect your requests or move out.

Meditation is one of the most helpful ways to relieve some of the negative symptoms associated with chronic stress. It just takes minutes out of your day to stop and meditate. Set your timer to five minutes. Close your eyes and relax your body by taking in deep breaths from your diaphragm. When you exhale, visualize the stress and tension leaving your body starting with your head and moving to your toes. Work to clear your mind by trying to keep your thoughts in the present moment. Once your five minutes are up, you should feel more relaxed and ready to get back to your day with a refreshed mind.

Understanding the negative impact chronic stress has on your well-being is essential. Having the tools to respond effectively will help you to minimize the harms created by ongoing stress. When you see that an issue is sticking around longer than it should, you need to question how the situation can be changed. If the situation cannot be changed, you need to find a way to alter, adapt, or accept the stressor. Your health and well-being are too important to live stressed-out.

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/is-chronic-stress-hurting-you/feed/ 0 6 Ways to Avoid Political Stress https://lakelandcounselors.com/6-ways-to-avoid-political-stress/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/6-ways-to-avoid-political-stress/#respond Thu, 24 Dec 2020 23:09:11 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=532

Are political discussions, commercials, debates, and social media posts stressing you out? If you answered yes, you are not alone. Nearly 60 percent of Americans report that the current political climate is a major source of stress for them (American Psychological Association, 2017). While staying up-to-date on political topics is important for every United States citizen, it does not have to lead to distressing symptoms; friendships do not have to be ruined and families can stay intact. Just follow these simple strategies:

Practice kindness: Regardless of your political position, always be kind to others. Don’t use bullying tactics to get your point across. Remember that you have an opinion that others do not agree with, so give others the same respect you want.

Control what you can and let go of what you can’t: Let’s face it, there is just so much control we have in political events. We can vote. We can research candidates and proposed bills. We can advocate to legislators and write our representatives. When you find yourself stressing out about the latest political media coverage, STOP, think about what you can control. Is the social media post you are about to make really going to make a difference? Are you wasting time trying to convince people that your opinion is right? Why are you wasting time on things that you have no control over?

Establish boundaries:These boundaries may be to limit the negative emotional reactions you have to politics. These boundaries may be to limit politics from saturating your life through social media and television. Boundaries may need to be set with social media friends or coworkers. You have a right to set boundaries that will protect you from the stress you feel when hearing about politics. I know at work I had to set limits about political talk. I kindly asked my coworkers to keep me out of their political conversations. This simple request helped me to avoid hearing about politics at work. It is important to decide how much you want to hear about politics and what sources you want to get the information from and then make the changes necessary to uphold those set boundaries.

Ask yourself why you are so emotional: Do you find yourself getting emotional (angry, sad, frustrated, hateful, spiteful, resentful) when reading a political post on social media? Ask yourself why you are feeling angry, for example. Why are you so invested? Has it become an automatic response. Them against us mentality? If so, that is a problem. When you impulsively write a reply are you backing this reply with evidence or are you backing it with raging emotion? When you consider your evidence, where did you get the evidence? Were you there? Did you read from a valid and reliable source? Are you just passing on information you heard?

Live by the Four Agreements: Be impeccable with your word. To do this, be honest and don’t use your words to be right, use them to bring love and care to others. Don’t take anything personally. When others are hateful toward you, it is about them, not you. Know your worth and move on. This can be useful when those political posts feel personal. Let it go! Don’t make assumptions. If you need clarity, ask. Communicate with others clearly to avoid misunderstandings. Again, be careful where you invest your time. Always do your best.This concept is important to remember in that moment you want to argue with someone over an issue you have no control over. Do your best to be the best person you can be to yourself and to others.

This current political climate isn’t going away right now. You are not going to change someone else’s strongly held opinion. Be kind in all you do. Control what you can and let go of the rest. Establish boundaries, limit your social media activity and political discussions. Get to the root of your emotions. Finally, live by the Four Agreements. Political talk is not worth the impact it can have on your mental health!

American Psychological Association. (2017). Many Americans stressed about future of our nation, new APA Stress in America survey reveals. Retrieved from www.apa.org

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/6-ways-to-avoid-political-stress/feed/ 0 Ask Yourself 3 Questions to Challenge Your Thinking https://lakelandcounselors.com/ask-yourself-3-questions-to-challenge-your-thinking/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/ask-yourself-3-questions-to-challenge-your-thinking/#respond Thu, 24 Dec 2020 23:05:55 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=529

Thinking…

Thinking is a word you know, you use, you talk about, you do, but have you really sat down and contemplated how your brain thinks? The definition of thinking is to use the mind to consider or reason about something. But, what if your thought process is mainly negative or irrational? Are you really using your best mindset to consider or reason about anything?

I have talked about negative thinking and cognitive distortions in the past. Cognitive distortions are unreasonable thoughts or beliefs that alter one’s perception of reality. When a belief is unchallenged long enough, it becomes an automatic thought. You think these thoughts are “normal” and see no reason to question them. Many people, who have anxiety or depression, can identify at least one cognitive distortion within themselves. These irrational beliefs distort perception and hinder recovery. Since I have been through the various types of cognitive distortions in the past, I will focus on what you can do to question your thoughts/beliefs and quickly determine if it is rational, or not.

First, ask yourself if the thought/belief will help you or hinder you. If you answer that the thought/belief isn’t helping you and is actually getting in your way, you would benefit from taking a few minutes to consider thoughts/beliefs that will help advance your self-improvement.

Second, ask yourself if the thought/belief aligns with known facts. For example, your thought/belief is that you can’t do anything right; however, you were just praised at work by your supervisor. Your thought/belief cannot be true because obviously, you did something right. That is the simple version. Now, if your thought/belief does not match the known facts, what thought/belief will align? Maybe instead of thinking you never do anything right, you can shift your thought/belief to you made a mistake today.

Next, ask yourself if your thought/belief makes sense. You had a rough day at work and now you are thinking you are not cut out for the job (you’ve had for 8 years). Does this make sense? Not really. So you had a bad day. You missed a deadline. A client became angry with you. Sure, this is upsetting, but it doesn’t define you and your ability to perform your job. Don’t let your mind do that. Take control of these irrational thoughts. You tell your mind who you are!

These three questions will give you a basic answer of what you are thinking. Write these questions down; print this page out; or take a picture of it with your phone and refer to it until it becomes a habit to challenge your thoughts.

Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right. –Henry Ford

Not only are people experiencing improved mental health with EMDR, they are maintaining wellness without experiencing relapse. If you feel stuck in the past, you don’t have to be. Seek out a qualified EMDR therapist, which you can find at Borum and Associates.

For more information about EMDR, or to schedule an appointment, please contact Borum and Associates at 863-608-9392.

The past affects the present even without our being aware of it. – Dr. Francine Shapiro

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/ask-yourself-3-questions-to-challenge-your-thinking/feed/ 0 Get Out of the Past with EMDR https://lakelandcounselors.com/get-out-of-the-past-with-emdr/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/get-out-of-the-past-with-emdr/#respond Thu, 24 Dec 2020 23:01:41 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=518

Dr. Francine Shapiro, developer of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), passed away on June 16. She leaves behind a legacy that has helped to advance therapy treatment options. EMDR has helped individuals who have experienced trauma, or have depression, anxiety, complicated grief, addiction, chronic pain, and phobias to name a few.

Traumatic memories can be stored in the brain with a lot of emotions. When this type of memory is stored in long-term memory, it may continue to bother the individual. The negative memory continues to surface without warning causing negative belief patterns about oneself.

How it works: According to the EMDR Institute, there are multiple phases to EMDR therapy. First, the therapist will ask about the traumatic memory, bringing it from the long-term memory. The memory is now stored in the short-term memory (working memory). The therapist then has the client focus on the traumatic experience while following the therapist’s rapidly moving fingers or other object with the eyes. Replaying the traumatic experience at the same time the client tracks the rapid movements leads to a surplus of information for the working memory. So much information is being processed that the working memory cannot keep up, which ultimately minimizes or eliminates the emotional connection to the traumatic memory. When the emotional connection is diminished, the client will think differently about the event.

EMDR is believed to be successful because talk therapy only deals with the left side of the brain, while EMDR stimulates both brain hemispheres. Imaging scans now allow us to see how EMDR changes the brain.

Brain scan images: The image on the left shows the areas of the brain that are not functioning the way they should (red areas). The image on the right shows the same areas have decreased significantly after undergoing EMDR treatment.

For more information about EMDR, or to schedule an appointment, please contact Borum and Associates at 863-608-9392.

The past affects the present even without our being aware of it. – Dr. Francine Shapiro

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/get-out-of-the-past-with-emdr/feed/ 0 Is Laughter the Best Medicine? https://lakelandcounselors.com/is-laughter-the-best-medicine/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/is-laughter-the-best-medicine/#respond Thu, 24 Dec 2020 22:50:05 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=515

Picture yourself with a group of your family, friends, or coworkers. Can you recall a time when you laughed so hard that you are holding your stomach, or jaws, with tears running down your face? It felt good, right? After all, who doesn’t like a good belly laugh? Humor has made its way to the mental health scene. In fact, research indicates humor has positive benefits to mental wellness. Following are just a few benefits of laughter.

Releases endorphins
Alters dopamine and serotonin activity
Reduces cortisol
Outlet for suppressed emotions
Decreases anger
Increases energy level
Changes perspective
Increases social connections
Reduces stress and anxiety
Reduces pessimism

Some worry that humor in therapy may be misinterpreted as a minimization of a client’s suffering (Bokarius et al., 2011). The therapist and client could certainly discuss whether humor in therapy is appropriate for them. Outside of therapy, make sure you make time to laugh by hanging out with positive and happy people, smile more, set aside a time in the morning to laugh, read funny content, watch a funny show, have a date night and watch a comedy, or watch funny YouTube videos for 10-minutes a day. There are plenty of ways to get your daily belly busting laughs, so what are you waiting for? Start now!

Laughter is a powerful way to tap positive emotions. — Norman Cousins

Bokarius, A., Ha, K., Poland, R., Bokarius, V., Rapaport, M. H., & Ishak, W. W. (2011). Attitude toward humor in patients experiencing depressive symptoms. Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, 8(9), 20-3.

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/is-laughter-the-best-medicine/feed/ 0 Are you Running on Empty? Learn to Care without Exhausting your Resources https://lakelandcounselors.com/are-you-running-on-empty-learn-to-care-without-exhausting-your-resources/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/are-you-running-on-empty-learn-to-care-without-exhausting-your-resources/#respond Thu, 24 Dec 2020 22:46:10 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=511

People who go into caring professions are often very compassionate people. They were likely taught from a young age to care for others before caring for themselves. Caregivers are highly susceptible to experiencing compassion fatigue. A simple definition of compassion fatigue is when a caregiver feels deep emotional, physical, and spiritual exhaustion caused by repeated exposure to the suffering of others. Compassion fatigue is not a character weakness, but can be exacerbated by neglecting self-care.

Caregivers must continuously renew themselves through self-caring behaviors. When compassion fatigue is not addressed, the caregiver may become numb to nurturing, caring, and feeling empathy for others, and they may lose the ability to experience joy. Symptoms of compassion fatigue are irritability, sleep problems, intrusive thoughts, avoidance of those needing cared for, a decreased sense of personal satisfaction, anxiety, restlessness, depression, headaches, exhaustion, abuse of food, drugs, or alcohol, missed days at work, difficulty functioning at work or home, and mood swings. It is important to recognize compassion fatigue early so steps can be taken to minimize distress.

There are numerous strategies to help minimize the risk of experiencing compassion fatigue. The ART Model is an acronym for Acknowledge, Recognize, and Turn (Todaro-Franceschi, 2013). Acknowledge feelings through self-reflection so emotions are managed, instead of repressed. Recognizing choices you have, such as saying “no,” can help you rediscover your purpose. Turn outward to reconnect with oneself and others (Todaro-Franceschi, 2013). Seeking help from a support network of family, friends, coworkers, or a therapist can help minimize compassion fatigue. Taking a mini vacation, or staycation, can help you recharge. Find time for yourself each day, even if it is in short increments. Surround yourself with positive people who tell positive stories and avoid the news or watching videos that depict suffering. Sometimes, hearing about more suffering or turmoil can be overwhelming. Above all else, remember that your needs are important too. Avoid giving all your energy away.

Test yourself:

The Professional Quality of Life Scale can be found at the link below. This questionnaire can help you identify your level of compassion satisfaction or compassion fatigue.

https://proqol.org/uploads/ProQOL_5_English.pdf

The Life Stress Self-Test can be found at the link below. Oftentimes, we do not realize the stress we are under. Take this quick test to identify your level of stress.

http://www.compassionfatigue.org/pages/lifestress.html

Reference:

Todaro-Franceshi, V. (2019). The ART of reaffirming purpose. Retrieved from https://www.qualitycaring.org/art-model/

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/are-you-running-on-empty-learn-to-care-without-exhausting-your-resources/feed/ 0 Is Your Job Causing You Stress? Take Control! https://lakelandcounselors.com/is-your-job-causing-you-stress-take-control/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/is-your-job-causing-you-stress-take-control/#respond Thu, 24 Dec 2020 22:41:59 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=508

Research indicates job-related stress can impact well-being, but I think many of us could have contributed to that research because we’ve experienced job stress. Experiencing stress on a busy day, or when not meeting a deadline is common, but when there is chronic work stress, it can become harmful to your physical and emotional health.

There are certain risk factors that are linked to job stress:

low salary
excessive workload
lack of challenge or engagement
lack of social support
no opportunity for growth
excluded from decision-making
relationships at work
role conflict or unclear role
low staff morale, poor communication
unsafe or uncivil workplace environment
conflict between work and home life

Signs you may be stressed at work:

Feel tired
Muscle tension
Headaches
Trouble sleeping
Negative feelings about going to work
Increased complaining at work
Irritable or withdrawn at work
Easily annoyed or frustrated at work

Way you can manage stress:

Write it out: Keep a log of your feelings, events that increased your stress, and how you reacted. You should see a pattern and be able to pinpoint what is causing the stress.
Learn healthy coping skills: Self-care, exercise, eating healthy, having a day out with friends, getting enough rest, take time to relax, and make sure you take your breaks and lunch at work.
Create boundaries: Don’t work off the clock, you need time to unwind. Avoid engaging in work-related talk or activities outside of work on most days. Take time off periodically to rejuvenate.
Address issues: If there are issues that you can help to improve, take the initiative. Offer solutions. Ask how you can help the problem. Talk to your supervisor about things that are not being addressed, but be prepared to have a solution. Sometimes the issue isn’t work-related, but stemming from another area in your life. Make sure you recognize this, and determine your best plan of action.
Find your support: You may have a co-worker you can talk to, friends, family. If you are struggling and feeling overwhelmed, you may benefit from speaking with a therapist or checking out your employee assistance program.

Most of us spend more time at work than we do at home (awake). It is important to feel engaged and productive when working. If you find yourself with any of the listed symptoms of workplace stress, acknowledge it, and take action so it does not progress to the point of harming you physically or mentally.

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