Nutrition - Proper nutrition is a key to stress control. The US Army recognizes proper nutrition as a critical element in controlling stress among combat soldiers, and you must admit, your job is sometimes as stressful as combat. Use Internet or get information from Human Resources to improve nutrition. You'll have to make some deliberate changes because our eating habits are affected by our culture, expectations of others, inadequate knowledge about what makes a proper diet. Learn what is needed and make a plan.

Rest - Take charge of your sleep habits in same way you work on your eating habits. Sleep deprivation is a major stressor by itself, and it adds to problem with other stressful events. Cut out late night television. Quit taking work home from office. Change pattern of your weekend parties. Get some new friends. Do whatever is necessary to get back on track with seven or eight hours sleep every night. Studies show that twenty minute power naps make us more productive, so use part of your lunch break for nutrition and part for a short nap to control stress. You'll get more done.

Discussion - Tell people what's on your mind. If you can't ignore someone's special talent for bugging you, talk it over with them. There's a good chance they are unaware of offense, so you don't need to get up tight about it. In a friendly tone of voice, let them know what gets under your skin and be ready to make some concessions yourself. As you now know, their irritating habit is probably magnified by other stressors, so make sure you've done what you can to control stress before challenging anyone.

Education - The more educated you are about your job, less stressful it becomes. Even if you've been on job for years, there's always more to learn about upstream and downstream impact of what you do. Stay up to date with trade journals, books, and other research. Become expert at what you do and coach others. While some companies do not pay for this type education, your own investment will make you more valuable to your company. What you know is portable - and it looks good on a resume.

Volunteer - Helping others has an immediate impact on stress levels. Build in some family time by volunteering as a family once a month. Build rapport with supervisors and co-workers by organizing a once-a-week lunchtime volunteer program. Lead a food or clothing collection for needy employees or families outside your company. Create a support-the-troops letter writing campaign so everyone in company communicates regularly with GI's away from home. In short, doing something for someone else takes your mind off stressors that bother you most.

Each of these stress relievers works independently of others. Find one that's practical for you and put it to work. Friends, family, and co-workers will all notice changes in you and thank you for making effort.

For a free article about top ten workplace stressors and how to tame them, send email to TopTenStressors@CourageBuilders.com

---Sidebar---

11 Ways to Keep Your Cool

Do your own job

Get Organized

Communicate with boss and others

Control interruptions

Schedule Family Time

Exercise

Eat right

Get 8 hours sleep a night

Let others know what bugs you

Learn new things about your job

Volunteer to help others

Copyright 2005 - Dale Collie

Approximately 7 million people had their identities stolen in 2003.

The cost to reinstate their credit averaged about $1,495 each with approximately 600 hours of time invested to straighten out his/her finances.

For destruction of documents, shredders are becoming one of most popular purchases by home owners as well.

How many of us have gone through hassle of tearing up bank statements or other personal documents into little pieces and tossing them down toilet? Perhaps you have opted to burn these documents in an effort to safeguard your identity. What ever methods you have used, shredding is an easier, effective means to accomplish this goal.

What could happen if you don't shred your employee data before discarding it and some of your employee data falls into wrong hands?

- You could be sued by an employee for actual damages. Or you could be liable for statutory damages of up to $1,000 per employee.

- In event that a large number of employee’s identities have been affected, a class action lawsuit could be launched resulting in you, employer having to pay punitive damages.

- U.S. Government fines of up to $2,500 per violation.

- State Fines -up to $1,000 per violation.

So... doesn't it make sense to purchase a shredder and adhere to requirements of this new law?

The best type of shredder to purchase - one that cross cuts. This type of shredder really destroys a document. Just try piecing one together after it has been through one of these devices.

Identity theft is a growing problem. Don't let your company or household become another statistic.