Reframing Workplace Stress

By : Scott Bahr

Stress can be a real problem in the workplace. In some cases, it can be overwhelming, and yet, a certain amount of stress can end up being a good thing. If you feel a normal amount of stress from working on something challenging or taking on a lot of projects at the same time, the solution may be in the way you ‘frame’ the stress. Harnessing the power of stress can actually work to your advantage. At Bit Service, we have considered many different ways to reframe how we think about stress and find ways to harness it.

Benefits of stress

While it might not be obvious, there are benefits to feeling a healthy amount of stress, particularly in the workplace. Stress can function as a motivator. If you have deadlines stacking up, you are certain to feel some stress, and hopefully this motivates you to put a plan in place and stay focused. Stress can provide incentives to make connections, take care of yourself, and be more decisive and efficient. According to a study in 2013 from the University of California – Berkeley, stress can boost cognitive function. The right amount of stress can increase your focus, improve your memory, and enhance your ability to learn new tasks.

Try out a personality test

Personality testing can be an extremely helpful way to recognize the kind of person you are and how you deal with certain things in your life. Everybody deals with stress differently, so being able to clearly state how it affects you can be beneficial to your work performance. There are two tests that the team at Bit Service has tried out – the DiSC assessment, and the Myers-Briggs assessment. For example, if your test results identify you as an ENFJ personality type, and the stressors and stress experience resonates with you, it can be helpful to you as you figure out how to frame your stress. Different personalities deal with stress in different ways which means that different coping mechanisms work better for some people than others.

Use stress to your advantage

If you can figure out how to properly deal with stress and even see a normal level of stress as beneficial, you can reframe how you deal with it overall. You can use the power of stress to your advantage. Perhaps instead of thinking of stress as a bad thing when you feel it coming on, you can accept it and focus your energy on handling it. Is it your deadlines? Is it communication? Do you need to address problems in a high visibility project? All of these questions can be asked and answered when you use stress as a motivator rather than as a deterrent.

You are the one person who knows how much stress is too much stress for you. If you feel that your stress has reached an unhealthy level, reach out to people who can help. Talk to your employer or relieve the stress through other means. Your health comes first but reframing a healthy level of stress can improve your life and your professional performance.