Is there something missing in your plan to have a life? Maybe you have the perfect plan—get home to be with your family, have time to exercise, enjoy your relaxing evenings and weekends—but if you’re like most people, there is DEFINITELY room for improvement.

Providing cutting edge training to leading corporations has given us unique insights into what’s working (and what is not working) in many people’s efforts to start and maintain a less stressful work-life.

We’ve noticed a common pattern in many people and companies:

•    Job burnout
•    Reduced effectiveness at work
•    Feelings of overwhelm
•    Reduced productivity
•    Carry-over of work issues into the home
•    Disrupted family time
•    Less energy for family activities

In this article, you’ll learn why stress is not a small issue and what you can do differently today–before you feel that, “it’s just too much!!”

Just what’s the big deal about stress?
You aren’t the only one feeling stressed at work, home and in your personal life.

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, here are the facts’:

• Over 90% of visits to primary care physicians include stress as a cause
• At least 40% of worker turnover is due to job stress
• Job burnout experienced by 25-40% of U.S. workers is blamed on stress
• Annually, $300 billion is spent in the United States on stress-related compensation claims, reduced productivity, absenteeism, health insurance costs, direct medical expenses and employee turnover.

Stress is costly to each of us—both personally and organizationally. It’s complex with physical and emotional symptoms that can escalate, just like being in a runaway car without brakes.

The heat is on!
Are you trying to achieve the famous “work-life balance” but you’re worried about your what your co-workers will think? Growing demands at work can make that an ongoing challenge. Organizational expectations increase the pressure: get to work early, stay late and put in extra weekend time or else. Inevitably, you can feel maxed out, overextended, overwhelmed and worn out.

It’s become normal in many businesses to not have a moment, to not catch your breath, to not take time for yourself. So common that having no boundaries between personal and work life seems normal. I know colleagues who routinely stay at the office until 10pm, go in before 6 am to get “something done,” and work weekends just to stay caught up.

Over the long term, this promotes a culture of stress that has significant costs personally, professionally, organizationally and culturally.

What is the secret so you can take charge?
You can’t necessarily change the external situations. However, you can expose the problems, and draw a diagram so you can understand what’s going on. You can learn to map out the cycle of stress that you’re experiencing right now.

As you do, quickly working through the process, you’ll discover alternatives. You’ll gain an overview of the event, unique situation, people and circumstances that are stress provoking.

A visual mapping process enables you to examine your personal stress patterns. When you see the whole picture, you can choose solutions and alternatives that will work for you.

When is making a map useful?
Map out the current pressures you face. Look at any area of your personal or work life that’s currently stressful—learning a language; studying for an exam; preparing a report; mastering a new skill; organizing your desk, life, house or office; practicing a new habit; starting a new sport, planning a career move; considering a location transfer, or preparing for retirement.

This is one of many easy-to-do actions that can put you in charge of managing your stress levels. To discover how you can reduce stress, be sure to read
SOS: Stress Options and Solutions. Discover mapping methods, intuitive exercises, and practical tools to reduce stress and manage stress–where and when you need it.

Here’s why: It feels good. It feels good to have tools that put you in charge. It feels good to reduce stress, to rescue yourself from drowning in habitual patterns of overextension and overload. It feels good to know that you can make different responses to situations, people, and information. You can live with less stress!

Email a Friend! Know a friend or colleague who could use help with work-life balance? Email this article and help them live with less stress.

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