In moderation stress is your friend.
It’s part of the human body’s natural defense system. In small doses it sharpens the senses, focuses concentration and triggers the fight-or-flight instinct.
That worked great early in man’s history when it was important to, say, flee from a hungry lion. But it’s less useful when the source of your stress is a stern boss or an angry customer. While our bodies may scream “run for the hills,” or even occasionally, “meet me outside, buster” those are not approved coping strategies in corporate America.
About four in 10 workers say their job is “very or extremely” stressful according to a recent survey by Northwestern National Life. And about a quarter of all workers (26 percent) say they are “often or very often burned out or stressed by at work,” according to a poll by the Families and Work Network.
Smart workers look for outlets to release stress before, during or after a demanding work day. Here are three proven stress-reduction methods you might want to try.