5 Steps to Get Rid of On The Job Worry

Organize the Clutter

If you are often running around your office like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, thinking, “I’m late. I’m late, for a very important date!” you may need to declutter. You control your workspace. Organize it so that clutter does not add more stress to the job itself. Clutter can create distraction. Distraction slows you down, which can cause you to miss deadlines or turn in late assignments. And somewhere in all that mess, you may have something important to work on that you have forgotten about.

It is amazing how clearing papers off your desk can clear your head. Or how organizing files and putting things where they belong can reduce stress. When things are in order, you can find what you need quickly, minimize distractions, and move faster on the job.

Use Humor to Break Tension

If you could have one of the best antidotes for stress, would you take it? If I told you it is something you can easily access and is free, would you want it? If I raved about how this one thing does everything from decreasing the risk of heart attack to stimulating the immune system, would you order it? Well, get ready, because it is something you already have. (At least I hope you have it.) It is humor!

Now if you do not have a sense of humor, go get one. Read joke books, listen to comedy, and learn to laugh at funny things. You are probably taking life too seriously and need to laugh at yourself and others at least once in a while.

My colleagues in my private practice group used to kid me about my therapy sessions with clients. They could not hear our talk through the soundproof walls, but the sound of laughter escaped through my doorway. They wondered what was going on that was so funny. Let me assure you, we were dealing with painful and difficult subjects, but I always found some way to bring humor into the mix. Why? Humor reduces stress.

Humor is a self-care tool that fosters a positive and hopeful attitude. It releases emotions and stimulates the immune system.

Humor takes a stressful condition and turns it into a challenge. Studies at Cornell University found that people exposed to humor in the workplace were not only more creative problem-solvers, but they could also better see the consequences of their individual decisions. Humor defuses stress and makes it easier to look at a situation and do something about it. And it is fun. It feels good to laugh, and laughter does wonders for the physical body.

I’m not suggesting you laugh off serious matters. Do not deny or avoid problems. But if you can maintain a sense of humor, it helps cut tension and brings people together instead of creating division. Try it.

Lose the Perfectionism

One of the signs of being a perfectionist is being dissatisfied with your work. Perfectionists worry about every detail on the job. They worry about getting the approval of the people with whom they work or disappointing others. Frequently, they ask for extensions on deadlines in order to keep making changes toward perfection.

Perfectionists must work on their thoughts regarding task completion and making deadlines. For example, missing a detail will not cause the world to end. Perfectionists think it will! The temptation to obsess over every detail must be examined and re-examined. Worry about job details does not change a thing, except ruin your health and work experience.

Perfectionism impacts productivity and job satisfaction, and it can damage relationships with supervisors and colleagues. It is self-imposed stress. Thus, a balance must be reached between doing a job perfectly and being indifferent about the outcome. The middle ground is a job well done.

Letting go is most difficult because it requires a lowering of perfectionist standards. A few ways to practice letting go include arriving at work on time instead of early, leaving when you are scheduled to be finished for the day instead of working late, allowing a bit of a mess on your desk, or determining a specific number of corrections before turning in an assignment. Try making a few of these changes. They will reinforce the reality that on the job perfectionism is not needed.

If you or your boss is a perfectionist, look at the big picture and do not get lost in the details. Once you have completed a job, do not look back and second-guess what you have done. Move on and keep moving forward or you will get stuck in the details. If you need help overcoming perfectionism, a mental-health professional can aid you through a type of counseling called cognitive behavioral therapy.

Evaluate Your Working Conditions

Working conditions matter in tackling job worry. If they are poor, there may be very good reasons to be concerned. For example, if you work in dangerous conditions, the possibility of an accident is real. Take this into consideration when you address worry. If you choose to work in dangerous and unsafe conditions, make peace with that choice, or make changes. Use the following questions to evaluate your work environment.

In your place of work, are there…

Too many hats to wear or a workload that is too demanding of resources and your time?

Infrequent breaks and long hours, including shift work?

Multiple tasks that have little meaning or are done in a hectic manner?

Few or no indications of control or direction?

Conflicting and unclear expectations?

Inflexible work hours?

Does management…

Exclude workers from decision-making?

Evidence poor communication?

Lack feedback and support?

Show no recognition for good work?

Rarely encourage worker development?

Appear unfriendly to family policies?

Lack resources to do the job?

Have poor leadership?

Not make provision for growth or advancement?

Push rapid change with little support?

Allow dangerous physical conditions such as crowding, noise, air pollution, or ergonomic problems and not value safety?