Work can cause stress for many different reasons.

Co-workers, the Boss, salary, insurance, customers, deadlines as well as worrying about home-life while at work. There is one other thing that is somewhat work related and that is unemployment.

Let’s start with Co-workers.

Co-workers are often stressful at times because of certain things they do or differences or opinions. You have to first realize you can not change your co-workers. If something is bothering you, it is best to let them know why, it does not mean they will change, but at least it is out in the open. It at least give the person a clue, many people do not realize their own bad characteristics or habits. You may have some that others don’t like. But either way, it is best to try and have more acceptance of people, then their bad habits may not bother you as much. If it is something that can not be over-looked, such as anger issues or any type of abuse, your best bet is to put it in writing and take it to the boss. If things are not resolved you may want to look for a job with another company with a less hostile environment or look into taking further action.

Let’s talk about the Boss now.

Having a bad boss can be very rough, because most people are afraid of losing their job to speak up. Your best bet here is to put the complaint in writing and go to your boss’s boss (hopefully your boss is not the owner or related to the owner). If things are not resolved you can either try and take further action or find a more comfortable company to work for.

Salary is a very important issue.

We need to try and make a decent income to survive. If you feel you are not making what you should be, try talking to the manager or owner. If you are making what you should be for your position, you may want to look into working overtime or taking classes to better your education to get a higher paying job. You can even take classes over the internet in this day and age. Insurance is an extreme necessity for some. Some companies offer very good insurance while some offer none. If you can get in with a good company that offers good insurance it might be worth making a change, depending also on salary and available positions. If your job offers poor insurance or no insurance, you may want to look into getting an individual plan with an insurance company outside your place of work. Some places offer decent plans at affordable prices. If you have kids and are unable to pay the extra cost of insurance either from work or an outside source, you may want to contact your local state welfare office and see if you are eligible for a no or low cost program or if they can refer you to a low cost health facility or insurance program.

Customers can be one of the hardest people to work with.

Usually when a customer calls a company it is because they are upset about a product that have or a service that was provided that they are not happy with. Not too many customers call to just say hi or thank the company. Most are quite upset and want resolution immediately. There is only so much you can do as an employee. However, many customers do not understand this or have anger issues and take it out on the person that answers the phone. Best thing to do in this situation is stay calm, try to comfort the customer as best as possible. Do NOT under any circumstances, take it personal. Relax, take a few deep breaths as necessary. If it is too overwhelming, you may want to look into finding a job that will make you happier and less stressed.

Deadlines are often unavoidable.

If you clear your mind and relax before starting the project each time it may help you to focus and get it done quicker. You may want to have family members and friends help you with other things that need to be done so you can focus on the project at hand. Worrying that you won’t get it done will just take more time. Have confidence in your abilities and a positive attitude and focus on the project only and it should help in getting it done.

Home-life always tends to weigh on our minds.

Even when we are out just having a good time. We have to learn to separate home form work and pleasure. But it is important to realize while you are at work, there is not much that can be done about home. You have to let it go or it may affect your job performance. If you have problems with constantly thinking about home while you are at work, try making a list of the things you need to get done or the things that are on your mind about home, before you go to bed. While you are at work, you can simply tell yourself, I have a list of the things that need to be done already, there is no need to worry about them now, there is nothing I can do here at work to accomplish them. When you get home from work, look at the list and see what you can get done that day, put stars next to the important things and cross off the things that are really not necessary or that you finish. Set a reasonable amount of time to do things that will not interfere with your sleep or family time. Save whatever is not done for a later date or the weekends.

Unemployment will almost definitely cause stress.

But this too, you can overcome. Being unemployed is never easy. If you are actively looking for a job (I don’t mean once or twice a day, I mean everyday 9am to 5pm just like a normal job) and no matter how much time you spend looking, you still cant find one, it may be time to think about a different field or a job with lesser pay at least until you can find a better one. With the ever-growing population and businesses filing bankruptcy due to high cost of material and expenses it has become hard to find a decent job at times. You may want to think about going back to school to get a degree in your field or a different field. It may be time to swallow your pride and get public help (welfare) temporarily until you can get better education or a new job.

But worry and stress will definitely not help us get a job or solve anything. When you go on a job interview, relax a bit, if you seem stressed out the person hiring may sense this and pass you by, looking for somebody more stable and calm.