All Stressed Up and Everywhere to go

How about looking at stress differently than society has suggested? Lets make stress a motivator! Stress is necessary and common in every day life and the work place environment. How we handle change will determine how much stress we will have. There are many things in life that create stress, but one of the most significant components is change. We cannot run organizations or relationships as we used to, and among the many adjustments that we need to make is a stronger investment in the every day concerns of the customer and out life partner. Seeing stress as a motivator rather than a negative allows the service to be positively affected professionally,while also personally.

Change is a fact of life. But today’s rapid rate of change can be a tidal wave. Job changes, promotions, single parenting, aging parents—today’s common stresses at work and home may leave you feeling helpless, angry, guilty, or depressed about the loss of what is familiar.

You can't always control change, but you can control your response to it. Looking for opportunities in the situation may help you get to shore.

Change affects all of us, but it affects us differently depending on where we are in the lifecycle. We all move from one life stage to the next. This movement, or change, is called transition. You can make these transitions more easily and successfully if you understand the stages of the lifecycle. Below, you will find the kinds of events that people experience during the different periods of life—early adulthood, middle adulthood, maturity, and 65 plus. Of course, there are many variations. For example, some people welcome change more when they are younger; some people become more comfortable with change as they become older. Knowing the life cycle of change and your place in it will help you move through your life more confidently.

As well as knowing where you are in the cycle of change, you also need to know specific things about yourself. Discovering what’s most important to you - your priorities and values - will help you make choices that really work for you. For example, do you like a job with strong, defined leadership or lots of room for independence? Once you have a clear sense of what’s important to you, knowing where your strengths and limitations lie will further clarify who you are and what kind of work situations might best use your skills and personality. And defining your work and personal goals - both short-term and long-term - will give you a destination to aim for, mobilize your strengths toward, and eventually reach.

All change involves loss - feelings of sadness and frustration. Life is a series of continuous attachments and detachments, and sometimes it’s easier to move on. Today, changes at work occur more rapidly and frequently than ever before, and loss is part of that change. Even positive changes, like a job promotion, involve loss. Should you find yourself in any of the following situations, or any other kind of work-related change, any or all of the coping skills described here may help you navigate the storm.

Change also involves technology—the fastest blowing wind on today’s seas. In this Age of Information, computers have changed the workplace overnight. New products change from month to month. Jobs are affected, and you can sink (cling to your old ways) or swim (adapt to the change). If you're facing changing technology, mergers, acquisitions, possible layoffs, or retirement, you'll need to cope with changes successfully. Even relationships are on the fast track of change...this does not have to be a negative in life but a life long growing experience! Ads it has been said many years previous....When you are through changing...you're through!

by Terri Knox