Stress Level

33-48: Strain

You're probably feeling overwhelmed or drained, and may be
having some difficulties actually doing your work. Many people,
once they reach this level of stress, fall into denial, feel
helpless and begin to blame themselves. Try to stop believing
self-criticisms like, "I'm stuck here and I can't do anything
about it" or "If I did a better job, was smarter or more
competent, I wouldn't be so stressed." Do small things to take
control of your work life. Say "no" to a project you don't have
time for, or ask to do something that's more interesting to you.
Leave work on time every day for a week, or leave the office for
lunch for a whole hour. If you can't do those things, at least
take a brisk walk or turn off your phone for a while. Chart of stress symptoms:
Work-related stress has a way of creeping into our lives,
sometimes without our even realizing it. Some of the symptoms
are minor, while others are more serious and even hazardous to
your health.

You may be stressed out if you...

Have a hard time making decisions
Have trouble meeting important deadlines
Experience feelings of fatigue or sleepiness, even with enough
sleep
Have low self-esteem
Feel that there just aren't enough hours in the day to get the
job done
Tend to criticize and be argumentative
Experience moodiness or depression
Are forgetful
Get the constant feeling that something is wrong or missing
Have a change in appetite so that you eat more or less than
usual
Find yourself smoking, drinking or using drugs to cope with your
job
Experience rapid or irregular heartbeats or heart pounding
Experience rapid breathing or hyperventilation
Get muscle aches, headaches or migraines
Have high blood pressure
Break out in skin rashes

Ten easy ways to address stress...

Take deep breaths.
Take a walk, escape from your environment
Say no to what you don't have time for or what isn't interesting
Leave work early (or at least on time)
Relax your demands on yourself a bit ‚ most of us expect to much
Let yourself ask questions and communicate with co-workers
Do unpleasant tasks in the morning to get them over with.
Simplify things whenever possible. Look at large, overwhelming
projects as a series of steps you complete one at a time.
Let yourself laugh, especially when you feel grumpiest.
Live in the present--don't spend time worrying about how much
better things were in the past or what might happen in the
future. Most people who are able to manage stress have perfected
the art of living in the now.

Information for the Stress-o-meter was provided by Teri Winfield
Hicks, an Advanced Nurse Practitioner specializing in
biofeedback and stress counseling at Northwest Stress Management
in Seattle.

Take the test and know for yourself:

http://www.weblab.org/workingstiff/stressometer/index.html