| |
| |
|
Stress Management Information |
|
The Case Of The Missing Vacation
This is the time for daydreaming about your annual vacation. Sounds enticing. But when it comes to actually taking time off, a growing number of us become downright ambivalent. ("Paranoid" may be more accurate.) Concerns about job security creep in. If the boss can get along without me for two weeks will he decide I'm not needed? What will happen to my projects when I am gone? Will my colleagues undermine me? And there are large numbers of us who are addicted to work. They'd rather work than be on vacation. The result is that almost one-third of us don't take all the vacation days we have earned, according to Expedia.com, the online travel agency. Some 14 percent do not take any vacation time at all. In addition, there's an army of men and women who are so hooked on their work that they can' leave it behind. When they are supposed to be on vacation they are not really on vacation. They stay connected to their work via the umbilical cord of technology. Some 32 percent check their voice mail or e-mail every day away from the job. It is the rare bird indeed who can be away from the office for two weeks without checking in two or three times "just to see how things are going." Many employers are enablers of this kind of behavior as they strive to get more work for the same money. Instead of feeling refreshed by time away from work, hordes of us dread coming back. We know the e-mails have piled up, the to-do list has grown and there is the general catching up. There may have been shifts in the power structure. A Sobering Thought This sort of commitment to the job may be necessary in some cases, but there's no escaping that it is often counterproductive. Efficiency drops off and workers' health is put at risk during long periods of unbroken work. The Framington Heart Study shows that women who took two of more vacations a year had a 50 percent lower chance of a heart attack than their counterparts who didn't take time off. In the case of men, annual vacations reduce the odds by about one-third. Your Vacation Guide The facts are clear. Time away from the job will improve your efficiency and help accelerate your career. In the end, personal down time will benefit your employer as well. Hopefully, you have the courage and wisdom to act on this axiom. You can help assure that your vacation times serve their best purpose by establishing seven conditions, advised Ramon Greenwood, senior career counselor at www.commonsenseatwork.com> 1. Come to grips with the fact that you are not indispensable. Nobody is. If it only takes a few days off the job to demonstrate that you are dispensable, then you probably are. If so, better to find out now and deal with it. 2. Reject the macho idea that long hours with your nose to the grindstone demonstrate strength and commitment. What you produce at the end of the day is what counts. The dumbest ox needs time out of the yoke. 3. Plan your next vacation in advance. Hold to the date. If your employer forces you to cancel your vacation make sure there is a good reason. Absent a reason, consider whether you are working in an environment that will nurture your growth. 4. Establish a plan to cover your responsibilities. Do work in advance. Delegate. Advise those with whom you work of your plans and what you expect to happen while you are away. 5. Leave a contact point where you can be reached with a "gatekeeper" who will respect your time. Don't check in with the office. They'll call you if you are needed. Don't panic if they don't contact you. Take satisfaction that your vacation plan is working. 6. Flush work out of your mind. Put the components of your life in perspective. Recharge your batteries. Read things totally unrelated to your work. Get plenty of rest. 7. Be prepared to double your efforts when you return from vacation to catch up and go ahead with your work. It's well to remember that there is no record of anyone wishing on their deathbed that they had spent more time at work. Ramon Greenwood is former senior vice president of American Express; a professional director for various businesses; a consultant; a published author of career related books and a syndicated column. Senior career counselor for http://www.CommonSenseAtWork.com>
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Stress Reduction and Sacred Moments "The great lesson from the true mystics, from the Zen Monks, and now also from the Humanistic and Transpersonal psychologists - that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one's daily life, in one's neighbors, friends, and family, in one's back yard, and that travel may be a flight from confronting the sacred - this lesson can be easily lost. To be looking elsewhere for miracles is to me a sure sign of ignorance that everything is miraculous. The Epidemic of the Eighties is Still Here IntroductionTime magazine called stress the "The Epidemic of the Eighties". Stress isAmerica's #1 health problem. Stress Management: Declare Your Freedom From... 1)Excessive worryNo, I'm not saying "don't worry, be happy."Well-used worry can alert us to areas in our lives that need attention and change. Stressed? Go on a Quick Getaway Did you know that taking a short trip, such as over President's Day weekend, or anytime, can have the same stress-reducing effects as a longer one? According to a Stanford University psychiatrist, David Spiegel, our minds shift into a more relaxed state during the first few days of a trip. When we have been away from home for long trips we tend to slightly increase our stress, or dread, coming back to home or work. Secrets to Aromatherapy II - Psychological Complaints Aromatherapy is very therapeutic when it comes to healingemotional and psychological conditions. This is because theessential oils from plants contain all kinds of compounds,phytoestrogens and phytochemicals that have the ability tosubtly alter brain chemistry for the better. Occupational Stress Statistics tell us that more people have migraine headaches on Sunday night and that the rate of heart attacks and heart attack-like symptoms are very high in the early hours of Mondays.. Quiet Mind; A Powerful Tool That Gives You More Time, Creativity, And Productivity And Takes Just 10 The National Center for health statistics reported that in 1997, doctors made two million diagnoses of "Acute reaction to stress" when patients were seen for check-ups or complaints of headaches, stomach problems, immune system disturbances and some heart problems. These were usually a direct result of chronic stress and overwhelm, patients were trying to do it all with no time just for themselves, the resulting complaints were making it harder to get things done and causing lasting health problems. Stressed Out? It May Be Your Job "I'm stressed out."If you find yourself thinking--or saying--this on a regularbasis, you might have a real problem on your hands. How Stress Effects Neurotransmitters The brain uses feel-good transmitters called endorphins when managing daily stress. When the brain requires larger amounts of endorphins to handle increased stress, the ratio of many of the other transmitters, one to another, becomes upset creating a chemical imbalance. Ten Easy Relaxation Techniques Stress is more than just unpleasant. It's dangerous. The Sixty Second Stress Solution It is an inescapable fact, we live in a stressful world. We are all exposed to stress every day, at home and at work, and not one of us can honestly say that we don't feel the effects. Manage Stress and Fear: Visit The Secret Garden! Recently I completed some new workshop engagements in addition to my coaching and week-long programs. I am very grateful for the opportunity to stretch and learn but am also acutely aware of the stress I am feeling taking on this new work. Dont Let Technology Psych You Out! We've all experienced it-computerized technology that doesn't function properly. PCs that crash on Monday morning, copiers that melt transparencies, printers that smear ink on Board reports, phones that crackle during crisis calls, Internet viruses that destroy everything but non-essential data, faxes that send documents to the wrong long distance number, and so forth. Stress Management: 7 Universal Laws for Managing Change 1. The Law of StagnationThis is also known as first order change. How to Say No and Let Go of Stress It was one of the first words you learned to say and you used it at every opportunity. Until someone convinced you that you couldn't, or shouldn't. Coping With Stress When something happens in our lives, we automatically assess the situation mentally and try to determine if it is threatening to us. If we feel that we don't have the skills or resources necessary to deal with the situation then we feel stress. 6 Ways to Release Stress We are currently living in a capitalist society where money and power rule. Therefore, many of us have become workaholics and often overlook signs of tiredness in order to stay on track. Stress Managment: Worry is the Prescription for an Ulcer Have you ever listened to someone, perhaps even to your self, talk about being worried? You'll hear things like, "I'm so worried", "I'm worried sick", or as my mom used to tell me, "You worry me to death!"Certainly makes worry sound like a very powerful force, doesn't it? And as a matter of fact, it is. Worry can make us sick, and in it's most extreme form, it can kill us. Haris Stress Inventory Conceptualizing stress: Stress often has a negative connotation. Failure, illnesses, distress are often marked as stress. How To Reduce Stress and Ease Worries in Just 3 Minutes Meditation, relaxation and visualisation are the standard recommendations for reducing stress, and they are all beneficial and useful to us in many ways, however, they are not so easy to put into use when stress strikes with it's disruptive companions frustration, overwhelm, confusion, anxiety etc in full attendance.Here's something simple you can try to diffuse stress quickly and easily, anytime and anywhere.
|
| home | site map | contact us |