subject: Working Mums' Guide To Beating Stress At Work [print this page] Working mothers recognise the value in maintaining a career outside of the home. Aside from the financial benefits of a regular pay cheque, work provides women with a sense of identity, purpose, and passion apart from our maternal and domestic roles. Yet, as working mothers, we also face the dual burden of "second-shift" work, meaning we often suffer from burnout and the tendency to overextend ourselves. While a certain amount of stress can be a positive motivator, overexertion is dangerous and leaves women feeling overwhelmed and at the brink of insanity. How can working mums reduce their stress levels and avoid burnout? Seeking professional coaching will help you ditch the guilt and stop the burnout. But in the meantime, to take control of all that life throws your way, try the following tips to help release tension and improve your mood.
Practice good task management. Prioritise, delegate, and break down into manageable bits. Repeat as needed. These three keys to work-related stress relief will help reduce your workload and tame what may seem like the impossible. Set no more than two to three priorities per day and before punching out, revise accordingly. Adhering to a few will allow you to remain focus and self-assuredyet, be careful of becoming overly confident! No matter how much we want to maintain a superwoman image, sometimes we simply can't do it all ourselves. If your tasks has accumulated, it's time to designate. Delegate some of your tasks to others and do well in important projects. And, if large projects still inspire trepidation, break them down into bite-sized chunks. Not only does this cut the fear factor, but dividing tasks leaves you feeling you've accomplished more and in less time.
Be nice. Don't be a pushover. In striving to make a good impression at the office, we often want to come across as nice. But beware! The way we choose to define "nice" may get us the exact opposite of what we had desired. Working mums are often ensnared into pushover territory, or in layman's term, the red zone of excessive and often unhealthy niceness. The trick is to learn how to be pleasant and accommodating without being a doormat. Stress your freedom to say "no." If guilt plagues your worried conscience, invoke the cause of your good health and sanity to remind you that saying no is not a negative!
Take a cue from your kids, and play! When you punch out, make sure to leave your work at the office and make time for play each evening. Take up a new hobby, read your favourite magazine, or take the family and dog for a walk. Play time reinvigorates the soul, gets the creative juices flowing, and beats the boredom of your work routine.
See a professional. True to the saying, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure. Watch for the signs of stress, and keep them in check before they get out of hand. Being proactive will maintain balance and calm in your busy lives and can minimize the effects of office-related stress. Signs vary from emotional to physical and can comprise of insomnia, digestive problems, inattentiveness,aches or sickness, and change in moods. Have routine physicals to check up on heart health and notify your doctor of any unusual pains or discomfort.
But help doesn't have to stop at your G.P's office. Try signing up for some professional coaching? If you're finding the stress is too much to handle, professional coaching can support working mums who finds themselves constantly torn between work and home life.
