Stress is almost always a part of work. However, there are some occupations that are naturally more stressful than others, due to the type of service or the industry to which they belong.

If you are subjected to these stressors on a daily basis, you simply must implement ways to reduce the amount of stress you have to cope with.

In reducing your exposure to stress, you will become more productive in your chosen occupation. 

Medical Care Professions

Doctors, nurses, social workers, or medical assistants have particularly stressful jobs. The nature of the job in itself is quite difficult, given that the health and well-being of others are at stake,  and there is always that added pressure of your action potentially resulting in a negative impact to one’s health. Effectively. this means there is no room for error, making these occupations ones with especially high stress levels.

To learn tp deal with stress you must first identify its source, in order to find the appropriate coping mechanism to employ. If a Doctor or other medical professional is able to do this, it certainly reduces the possibility of making what could be, a fatal mistake in their work. 

Law Enforcement Jobs

As with the medical profession, there is undoubtly an enormous amount of stress in law enforcement. It is, after all, their responsibility to protect the community and maintain peace and order.The amount of personal risk can be enormous as law enforcement officers are forced to put themselves in extremely dangerous and highly stressful situations. 

You can reduce stress in your profession by giving yourself timely breaks which allows the body and mind to recuperate and rejuvinate. As law enforcers typically have a lot of work on their plate, having proper time management and organizational skills will also assist in dealing with stress.

Teaching Professions

While many enjoy the teaching profession, often people in this field will tell you that there is a high level of stress involved, as they deal with many children who can be difficult. Inner city teachers find their jobs particularly stressful due to high levels of crime in the area and often the children they are teaching have been exposed to violence and crime, and as a result do sometimes have behavioral problems that a teacher must also cope with, in addition to actually educating the child. Teachers are also often under close scrutiny by the community at large.

Teachers can deal with these stressors by trying these strategies:

• Try to be patient and calm, particularly with those students who are more difficult than others.  Perhaps over time with patience, you can develop a deeper emotional relationship with these children.
• Set realistic goals. When you aim to teach your students something, understand not every child will learn at the same pace. Some will take longer than others, so your schedule to have something in particular taught in one day may well blow out to two days.  Rather than get frustrated, try to factor this into your planning from the outset.

 
• Take care of yourself, whether physically or mentally.

Jobs Involving Sales

Sales roles can be very stressful as your livelihood is often dependent upon your ability to produce sales. Jobs involving sales therefore require you to meet high levels of standards and often require you to deal with the public and their demands. Since most of the stress involved in this job is associated with the results, learn how to set your goal and then forget it. Get on with using your skills and creativity to sell the service or product in your own unique way. Nobody likes a salesman with a hard sell approach and if you are constantly worried about meeting your target then you may well become one of these salesman and thwart your efforts in the process! 

Telecommuting Jobs

Can be a stressful occupation, what with having to meet deadlines, to taking care of multiple clients and their inquiries. One way to reduce stress in this instance is to examine ways in which you can become more organised. Organise your day in such a way that you can accomplish what you set out to do, however with proper breaks built into your day so that stress if reduced. Make sure in this type of occupation, that distractions are kept to a minimum as these impact greatly on your ability to produce, and hence, cause more stress.

Whenever you feel stressed out, give yourself a break and do some deep breathing. Try to slow down, take 20 minutes out of your day to meditate, and you will amazed at how less stressful you will be. Bottom line is the lessed stressed you are in the workplace the more productive you are.

By MaryAnn Roche

Tags: managing stress, occupational stress, relieve stress, stress, stress at work, stress relief, work stress

Acupuncture, Stress or De-Stress?

Today I return to my Stress and Anxiety series, with a question…..
Can Accupuncture reduce stress or does it promote stress?

Firstly, What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese healing art that involves inserting fine needles at very precise pressure points throughout the body. The needles stimulate the body’s natural healing processes in its energy system.

Health Benefits of Acupuncture

Accupuncture can relieve the physical symptoms of stress that tends to accumulate in the neck, shoulders, and back, causing pain and tension. Headaches are another physical complaint resulting from stress. People who are under high levels of stress often have high blood pressure.

Acupuncture can relieve physical symptoms, such as tense muscles, and even help to lower blood pressure. Acupuncture leaves the body feeling calm and relaxed. An added benefit is that it improves the circulation of the blood throughout the body.

How Does Stress Treatment with Accupuncture Work?

Acupuncturists believe that energy flows through the body system through channels called meridians. This energy is referred to as Qi or Chi.

Stress causes an imbalance in the body’s energy and causes it to flow improperly. The Qi can become blocked and stagnant. It must be unblocked and flow freely in order to restore harmonious balance to the body.

By stimulating the proper acupressure points, the Qi can flow freely, and thereby can reduce stress induced mental and physical symptoms.

So Is This Stress Treatment Safe?

Acupuncture is perfectly safe when performed by a licensed practitioner. Acupuncturists are trained in the proper methods of stress treatment and all instruments are sterilized to prevent any risk of infection.

The Food and Drug Administration approved non-toxic needles made for single use application just for use in acupuncture treatments. The majority of people who undergo acupuncture feel no pain at all. A small percentage may feel very minimal pain. Bleeding rarely occurs.

Stress Related Health Conditions

Regular acupuncture treatments can reduce stress, help heal stress related health conditions and improve the body’s immunity to defend against potential illnesses.

In fact, in some cases, acupuncture that is being used to treat one condition can actually help detect another, more severe illness that had not been previously identified.

In such cases, acupuncture aids in early diagnosis and treatment. In another capacity, acupuncture can serve as a form of preventive measure against illness by alleviating stress and strengthening the body.

Accupuncture Treatment Sessions

A typical acupuncture session may last for 30 to 60 minutes. The patient will become very relaxed during the treatment and may even fall asleep.

Regular acupuncture treatments can help strengthen your body so you’re better able to deal with the day-to-day stresses of life. Acupuncture can also leave you feeling refreshed and energized.

The Body and Mind Connection

Stress is a perfect example of the interrelated connection between the body and mind.

Remember, acupuncture is just one method to relieve stress. It’s also important to learn positive and productive ways to cope with stress on a daily basis, thereby making the stress work for you rather than against you.

Find your own combination of de-stressing methods that work for you, and use them often to enjoy a happier and healthier life. Stress is a natural part of life, but with our seemingly never-ending hectic lifestyles, we are more stressed out than ever!

There are various techniques you can use to relieve stress, such as yoga, meditation, massage therapy and more. You may want to try several different methods to reduce stress to find a method you feel most comfortable with. Read more about Stress Relief and Anxiety.

Tags: Acupuncture, de-stress, destress, reduce stress, relieve stress, stress, stress treatment

Here are some great tips to get some stress relief right now!

I prefer not to do stress! but we all feel it at one time or another. Stress is statistically shown to be perhaps the number one cause of most health issues today. Here are 6 great tips to relieve stress in healthy and most effective ways.

* A problem shared is a problem halved! Try talking to your friends or family, or even a councillor about the problems you are currently facing. When you keep everything bottled up inside yourself, things will just get worse. See if you can find a support group with people experiencing similar challenges or problems.

* Sweat out that stress! Make sure you get regular exercise. You could go to the local park and walk for 20-30 minutes every other day. Exercise is a great way to relieve stress and tension and has a calming effect. I have recently joined a gym and am finding it very beneficial for both the waistline and my demeanor! Maybe you would enjoy a gym too! Go and do a free trial and see what you think.

* Yoga works great for some people too! Yoga practioners sit in a quiet room alone and begin special breathing exercises. I personally prefer pilates, its easy and very placid and lowers my stress levels instantly!

* Crank up the music! It is said that ‘music calms the savage beast’. Depending on how you feel, listen to some classical or instrumental music. Maybe some ocean or nature sounds. I love a good dance or sing to work out my stress ‘moments’ and find that loud thumpin’ beats can do the trick nicely!

* When trying to relieve stress, make sure you eat right! Healthy meals are an important part of diminishing your stress levels. Make sure you eat at least three meals a day, and be sure to avoid too much caffeine and sugar. Eat lots of fruit and veg and drink plenty of water. Doing this will make sure you break out less, which for me is a great stress reliever! (yay! Im lookin’ good!)

* Sleep deprivation is a killer! Not getting enough sleep is a big factor in stress development. Try to go to bed early once or twice a week. Seven or eight hours sleep a night will make so much difference.

Dealing with continual stress in our lives can be very difficult. Every day, something else will pull you in a different direction, while you try hard to accommodate others. The number one priority is to take care of yourself. You are the common thread that keeps your family together. If you are stressed, tired or rundown – you’ll be no good to anyone.
Get Rid of Stress with Anthony Robbins!

Make sure you take a break here and there! Get some retail therapy, buy a new outfit or powertool; go to a movie; do something you love but haven’t made time for in a while. The family and your daily jobs can surely do without you for one day! Catch up with yourself sometimes, everybody needs their own space.

Make sure you laugh! Have you had one of those times when you’ve laughed so hard, you cried? or your ribs and your face hurt so much, but you couldn’t stop laughing no matter what you did?
That was probably because you hadn’t had a really good laugh in so long, that it all came out at once! Did you know that the tension released through laughter is the best cure-all method for dealing with stress-related issues?

Its great when you know what stresses you out! Then you can do your best to avoid these stressful situations whenever possible. Take everything in your stride.
If you can’t finish a task, don’t worry about it. If dinner doesn’t turn out well, don’t stress – just order take away or go out! (yeah!)

I am a firm believer in Life being too short; and stress will reduce your life span even further! Nothing is more important than your state of mind. I read a thought provoking quote, but I cant remember who it was by. It went something like……… “No one can make you a victim without your consent.” So dont give your consent! Try hard not to let people, events, situations etc take over your life!

When you feel stress, make time for yourself and indulge in some of the tecniques above – you will feel better, I promise!
I hope you have enjoyed this article and will practice some or all of these great ways to relieve stress in your life and that you achieve your goal of stress relief!

Simplify Your Life Zero in on what’s important to you and make it happen! Stop letting little things keep you from living the life of your dreams. No matter how disorganized you feel today, it’s never too late to make a fresh start. I will teach you how to reduce stress, increase energy, remove clutter from your life, and take control!

Tags: relieve stress, stress, stress relief