Stress Management:
Grinding, But Not Ground Out

Contributed by Jay Schroyer

If you worked for a coffee shop, the daily grind wouldn’t be a hindrance, but a help. But seriously, work can very quickly become a constant thorn in your side if you don’t learn to temper the relationship you have between work and play. It is estimated that we spend almost half of our lives in work related pursuits and over a third of the year sleeping. Add family, home projects, and commuting and that doesn’t leave too much time for leisure. So, sometimes you have to find your fun and entertainment in the place that takes the lion’s share of your time: your job.

There are many things you can do to make your job more enjoyable everyday, but I’ll list just a few here that have been instrumental for me in pulling myself out of the grind and into a fun and lively work groove.

Learn to Love
You can fall in love with your work. Don’t be that person that sleeps at the office or wakes up in the middle of the night to make business phone calls, but develop an honest respect and admiration for the work you do. No matter what level of duties you perform, take a moment to see how many people rely on what you do and appreciate what you do for them. Fall in love with the idea that what you do means something to yourself and others. Find enjoyment in all of the little details, the perfection, the process, and the creativity that pulses through your projects no matter what the size.

Work and Laugh
You can be serious about your work without being serious about yourself. Have fun at your job with yourself and your coworkers. You don’t need to be the court jester, but don’t be afraid to make people smile with a kind or funny word. Always remember taste and appropriateness when being lighthearted. You have a lot of work to do, but there’s no reason you can’t have a laugh or a smile every once in a while. And above all, keep your patience. It’s too easy to fly off the handle when stress is really bearing down on us. Keep your patience and learn to never experience the regret of saying the wrong thing in the heat of the moment.

Meet and Greet
Get to know your coworkers and your superiors. I’m not asking you to take them out on a date, just ask them how their weekend went or about their children or loved ones. You would be surprised how close-knit an office can become just from sharing small anecdotes about a fishing trip they just came back from or something funny that their three-year-old said. How much better can a company perform when all of the parts are working together cohesively? It’s also a great place to collect information and advice on a myriad of subjects from homecare to child rearing.

Remind and Reward
If you’re occasionally reminded that there is a more laid-back, leisurely world outside of your hectic work world, it will make finishing up your work that much easier. Keep photos and memorabilia about the office to remind you of what you do and enjoy when you’re not at work. It will remind you why you work so hard. Give yourself short-term goals and reward yourself for meeting those goals. Give yourself a candy bar break if you finish the first section of your presentation or think on a larger scale for when the presentation is complete.

These are just a few ideas that can keep you sane and happy at work. Enjoy your work and make the most of the time that you do spend working. Have a smile at least once a day. Laugh at a joke or at your seriousness for a minute. Talk with your coworkers and bathe in the camaraderie that results when it comes time to really put the nose to the grindstone. Remember why you work. You work so that you can afford to do the things you like to do in your free time. If you keep these goals in mind, it will make work seem much less like a daily grind and more like an enjoyable gateway.

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