A topic that comes up frequently centers around both workplace and personal stress. Stress comes from a variety of sources. Some of these are more impactful than others. The loss of a friend or loved one, buying or selling a house, changes in your workplace, personal or family medical issues. Other day to day stresses add to those such as the fear of a job loss or a new position, personal financial issues, annoying misbehavior by a child, conflicts with a spouse or a co-worker, a project you are not sure how to complete, a deadline, or a stretch target.

Stress factors percolate in our subconscious. Think of a stack of building blocks. The more you stack on top, the closer you get to the tipping point. Stress works much the same way. Subliminal stress is cumulative, just like a stack of blocks. When additional stresses pile on top of each other a person can reach the breaking point.

Credit Manages should be on the lookout for the warning signs among staff members. Look for changes in an employee's behavior. A generally happy person, now sullen and non-communicative. Someone who is typically cooperative, now lashing out at others. There may be changes in an employee's attendance patterns. Suddenly deadlines are missed, and the employee suddenly exhibits a general lack of interest or sense of urgency.

Sound challenging? Here are eight things you should consider to help relieve the impact of stress: 

1. Be organized. Have a calendar of what you need to do each day. Don't overcommit. Spend time organizing your workspace. Set, and follow your real priorities. Don't be distracted by things that are easy to do but are not critical to your core responsibilities. 
2. Set reasonable expectations for yourself and your staff. Expect the same from your manager.
3. Don't absorb unnecessary stress. Just focus on what you have to do today. Don't allow others to project their stress onto your shoulders. 
4. Pay attention to medical and mental health. Encourage your staff to take advantage of company benefits, to take time for a break, and encourage outside activities and life balance. 
5. Identify the triggers that cause stress. When a person understands the triggers that drive stress, they can work on ways to deal with them. They may find that what is driving stress is really not that important. 
6. Plan how to manage time. Work on avoiding unnecessary interruptions, look at all the things that need to be done, then set priorities. If there is a deadline, allocate which tasks need to be done and when. Negotiate when the load is not realistic.
7. Be proactive. Act on stress factors you actually have control over. 
8. Accept the things you can not change and deal with them the best you can. Realize that not all things can be controlled or predicted.

Conclusion:

We all have to deal with some level of stress in both our personal and work lives. As a manager keep a constant lookout for an employee who exhibits behavior indicating that their stress level has become overwhelming. By identifying the stress factors driving their behavior you can help them understand specific actions they can take to reduce their stress. Be sure they are taking full advantage of your company's medical benefits if that can help.

There is an interesting quote that relates to dealing with stress. “If your bathtub is overflowing, do you clean up the water first, or turn off the faucet?” (Unknown)What answer do you think works best?