Workplace stress is not inevitable. Here are some simple techniques to lower your own levels. Stress sucks. According to the American Psychological Association, stress can result in headache, muscle tension, muscle pain, chest pain, fatigue, upset stomach, insomnia, anxiety, restlessness, lack of motivation, lack of focus, irritability, depression, eating problems, addiction ... and social withdrawal. Yow! Fortunately, stress isn't inevitable, even in today's hyper-connected, highly competitive world. Here are six techniques that I've picked up over the years and now use on a daily basis. 1. Create an OasisIn the past, people worked 9 to 5; in today's business environments, there's pressure to work (or at least be available) 24/7. Needless to say, that pressure generates oodles of stress. An absurdly easy way to get reduce that stress is to shut down your computer and your cell-not just while you sleep, but also an hour before and after you sleep. This takes discipline, because you're probably in habit of checking email, texts and so forth. This also takes self-confidence, because you must believe that you need to be at the constant beck and call of your boss, colleagues and customers. Do it anyway. 2. Find the 'Sweet Spots'Having a overlong to-do list can a huge source of stress, because it feels like you can never get them those tasks  completed. Here's a thought: Why bother? Instead, categorize each task by difficulty (e.g. easy, medium, hard) and then by potential impact (e.g. large, medium, small). You'll probably find there are about 10 tasks that are both easy and will have a large impact. Hit those "sweet spots" first. In most cases, you'll achieve 80 percent of your goals by only doing 20 percent of the work. And that takes the pressure off, thereby reducing stress. As a bonus stress-reliever, ignore those tasks that are hard and won't have much of an impact anyway. 3. Renegotiate Your WorkloadUnreasonable expectations of what you're capable of accomplishing are a huge source of stress-regardless of whether those expectations come from yourself, from your boss, or from your customers. The cure for this kind of stress is a dose of reality. Look at how much time you've got to spend, assess the amount of work that needs to be done, and, based on that, be realistic about what's actually going to get done. If you're expected to accomplish A,B,C and D, and there's only time to achieve three of the four, decide-or force your boss to decide-which three will actually get done and which one will not.
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