Just for fun « The Career Development Center Blog

Welcome to the end of the term, OSU Beavers!! The term is almost over with (phew), and hopefully you’ve finally acclimated yourselves to the academic agenda of your life! Today, I want to give you a few tips on how to continue on the path to a successful year – whether it be academically, professionally and even personally.

Establishing healthy habits can protect you from the harmful (dreadful, really) effects of stress. As students, we know, first hand, the potential brutal effects of stress – so here are a few tips on how to curb those effects!

1. Keep in touch with family and friends!

A daily dose of personable socializing is a great remedy for the ‘blues’. Even if you aren’t feeling up to the socializing aspect of things – do it! Ever heard of the saying “a smile is contagious” – it’s true! The more you surround yourself with productive positivity, the more you’ll personally feel the positive effects.

The benefits of staying connected can range from feeling supported, staying mentally sharp, developing a more active lifestyle, reducing (overall) stress, and finally enhancing your sense of well-being and happiness. Woo Woo.

2. Engage in physical activity – DAILY

This is something I cannot emphasize enough!! Consistent daily activity will make a world of a difference, literally! It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, just 30 minutes a day of some light-moderate cardio will make a difference. I know most of you walk to and from campus multiple times of day – this is fantastic (and counts as light cardio), but setting aside 30 minutes a day (or even every other day) to do some moderate to rigorous exercise (cardio) not only accelerates your metabolism, but it also gives your entire body a chance to revive itself – leaving you feeling ‘pumped’ and ‘refreshed’!

3. Accept the things you cannot change – Take Deep Breaths

Easier said than done. I know – but nevertheless, make a conscious effort to ‘chill’. Remember to take a few deep breaths, breath in through your nose, and out your mouth – this contraction of the lungs strengthens the respiratory muscles and improves the oxygen supply to your body. JUNK food consumption and erratic lifestyles end up causing lower oxygen supply within the body – which ends up making you feel tired and restless.

Deep breathing can – wait for it… DETOX the body. This one has been a head turner (lately) due to all of the detoxifying fads. How? A good supply of oxygen to your body helps flush out all of those toxins, which then also stimulates healthy and efficient body functioning. Woo Hoo!

One last thing on deep breathing (although I could go on forever) – regular deep breathing can actually help to reduce hypertension, fatigue, headaches, feelings of depression, panic, anxiousness (testing anxiety eh??), tension, hyperventilation etc.! I lied – one last thing; interested in sleeping better? Try taking a few prolonged deep breaths prior to sleeping. It relaxes the tension throughout your body, and slows the heart – enabling you to finally feel relaxed.

So, how does this help boost your performance academically and professionally?

There are a number of ways – but for the sake of length I’ll only list a few I find appealing:

* Being able to manage stress enables you to take on more projects (because you’re completing previous projects) confidently, and execute them in an efficient and timely manner.

* It allows you to perform more efficiently – engage more effectively and empower others around you, thus creating a more productive working environment.

* Being healthy reduces physical and mental stress – reducing stress enables you to take on a whole new refreshed look at things going on in and around the workplace. It sparks creativity, innovation and advancement!

* Prepping for an interview?? The less stress you are feeling mentally and physically, the better the result will be for that interview – not only will you feel great, but the employer(s) will notice too.

* Studying away for an exam (or 5)?? Get ACTIVE. The more physical activity (and sleep) you pursue, the better memory recall you’ll have – that my friends, is a fact. That’s not to say go to the gym for hours on end and sleep the other part of the time – you have to actually put in the study time.

Happy Finals Week! Good luck and stay warm!

posted by Sydney Veenker, Career Assistant

Freshman year caused drastic alterations in my life. Being away from my home of 18 years, including all family, most of my friends, my loving Great Dane/Pit Bull…it was difficult for me. I spent my four years of high school involved in a variety of volunteer activities, ranging from being a member of the PAL’s program at the Southern Oregon Humane Society to enrolling in the Buddy Program which entails interacting and becoming a helping friend to an elementary school student throughout the Springtime. When I transferred to the college setting, I had to depart from all of my old responsibilities and begin new ones. The best way I discovered to find a range of volunteer opportunities was being involved in the Civic Engagement Club. This club sends out weekly emails that include multiple different opportunities to get involved in the community. Since it was only the first few weeks of school, I was still very new to everything so I ended up spending hours skimming through each opportunity that was presented. I came across a volunteer abroad opportunity, titled Public Health Global Brigade, which immediately struck my interest.

First of all, I love traveling. Studying abroad has been my dream ever since I was old enough to understand what it even meant! I signed up and began going to the meetings to get further knowledge about the program. Knowing I would have to set myself back financially made me want to rethink if it was really worth it or not, but my heart quickly trumped the thoughts. After going to the first few meetings, I could not come up with any potential negative consequences that would make me regret the experience so I stayed committed and it eventually led me to the Darien region of Panama.

Our mission was to improve the overall health of the communities we visit by building/completing latrines. From this, children and adults will have better access to a clean bathroom which will help reduce the chance of obtaining diseases that can lead to a serious illness or even death. Alongside 23 other women and 1 man, all from OSU, we spent seven days rebuilding ten latrines that were not finished by previous Public Health Brigades and started and completed one main latrine at an Elementary school outside the Darien region.

We assisted and worked with certified Panamanian contractors so we weren’t completely clueless as to how to build the structures. We worked through 90% humidity, through the downpour of rain (and “downpour” is an understatement), through pools of perspiration, through laughs, jokes, smiles and committed dedication. All of this led up to an everlasting bond between the student volunteers, the Panamanian contractors, the Panamanian directors in charge of the Global Brigade program in Panama, and the families in each of the communities we visited.

Returning home was saddening, but also reviving. I learned a tremendous amount of culture differences and experienced what life is like outside the US. It is true when American travelers of the world say “be thankful for what we have here in the US.” Every single one of us volunteers came back thankful, inspired and lively. You honestly can’t get that sensation from anything else. As a volunteer abroad student, I now have an expanded heart and more of a passion to make a difference here in this world. I hope others will take a chance, open themselves to “one-time” opportunities so they will one day achieve the same experience and awareness as I have.

Have you had a memorable volunteer or volunteer abroad experience? Tell us about it!

posted by Whitney Cordes, Career Assistant

When I was five years old, I took cat testicles to my kindergarten classroom for Show-and-Tell (remember Show-and-Tell, version 1.0?? Now it’s called “Facebook”). I brought them in an orange Tupperware that my parents happily supplied, and in some solution that kept them in their (almost) original shape and form. Looking back now, I can clearly see the giant thought bubbles popping out of my beloved kindergarten teacher’s head as I confidently shared the story and knowledge I had regarding said testicles (removed from my big gray cat at home, on the piano bench, by our family veterinarian). The thought bubbles screamed, mostly unintelligible, with a few question marks here and there, but bless her head—she let me share. And she let the other kids ask questions. And she defended me (and her choice) to any other parents who may have questioned why their kid came directly home and asked about feline balls. And thus, curiosity and an insatiable thirst for knowledge was protected, nurtured and encouraged to grow.

Growing up on a farm, I had the magnitude and minutiae of the world at my fingertips. Birth and death and everything in between surrounded me and I was encouraged to ask questions about all of it. When a teachers’ strike closed down my elementary school for three weeks one winter, my mother carried on with lessons at home, based in the constantly changing flow of activity on the farm: weighing chicks, counting elements in pond samples and writing about observations in the fields and trees. There was always space for learning, space for expansion, space to be awed by even the most mundane.

As I’ve grown up and moved through an undergraduate program in English, several jobs that held various levels of inspiration, travel and study abroad, a Master’s degree in counseling and the most recent expansion into being a parent and professional in higher education, I’ve learned that the space to be curious is not confined to the lucky and charmed experiences in my childhood. Sometimes, curiosity is met with fear by others: skepticism, sarcasm, even avoidance and hatred, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t the most crucial of necessities in so many ways. To be a lifelong learner—someone who is active and engaged in seeking out new knowledge and experiences and sharing those with his or her community and world, is to be a contributor and uniquely influential. It allows for adaptability and the ability to adjust when the currents change. It allows for one person to recognize another person’s passion and uniqueness and to step in to help those grow—either by asking the right questions, saying the right thing, or by simply stepping back and letting a kid share with the world what she finds to be most fascinating.

As a person currently involved in higher education, I recognize the emphasis placed on managing a schedule and meeting structured expectations, in class, work, sports, clubs, and beyond. The expectations are important—focus on grades, achievements, and meeting or exceeding standards in your education and career. But don’t forget, in your pursuit of answering all the necessary questions, to ask some questions of your own. Be curious, even about the day-to-day, and share what you learn so others can be excited with you. In fact, in recent research on career “success”, as published in Perspectives of Psychological Sciences, it was found that curiosity (along with conscientiousness) is a much better predictor of success and achievement in academics and career than your level of intelligence! So, learn simply for the sake of learning, and you will be surprised at how far you might go.

Oh, and if your kid ever wants to take testicles to school, my advice to you is: let her. Just make sure you know which Tupperware she used before packing lunch the next day . . .

Posted by Malia Arenth, Career Services Career Counselor

It’s your first year of school. Or your fifth. The academic year begins after you’re fresh off of a summer of interning, vacationing, working or continuing education in a myriad of ways. Campus explodes with returning staff and students, skateboarders, bikers and pedestrians vying for space, and you step into another new schedule. Between the 15 credits you’re taking, you’re handed an armload of other expectations: make friends, keep friends, find a job on campus or close enough to bike, do EVERYTHING social that comes your way, join a club or three, meet with your advisor, take weekend trips, call your mother, study abroad, and keep your grades up. Oh, and work out. Students who are also parents, older than 25, first generation or otherwise considered “non-traditional” typically face even more demands for a successful blending of academics and everything else. It sometimes seems that everyone on campus is under pressure to do everything, be everything and be GOOD at everything, regardless of the personal toll.

Blending career with the rest of your life outside of school doesn’t get any easier, but the climate around what constitutes a “successful” career is changing. Currently, the United States is dismal in terms of providing support and resources for the easy integration of work and life: we as a nation rank 28^th, only 9 from the bottom, of advanced countries in terms of successful work/life integration. Conversations, though, in the past few years have shifted significantly toward figuring out how to redefine success in life, including career, and I do believe we will get better as a nation in taking care of each other.

While greater governmental and policy change is needed to implement support at a larger scale in the work/life integration, it is up to us now to manage our own balance. During school is a good time to practice. Here are a few tips on how to get started:

1. Know yourself.

No other person will be able to tell you what is best for your life. You must do this work on your own. Take each day as an opportunity to learn about who you are, what you prioritize and how you see the best version of yourself in your community. Are you exhilarated by good grades? Does the happy exhaustion of a long trail run outweigh the extra hour of time spent talking on the phone with a friend? Is quiet time something that allows you to do well in other areas and, if so, how are you scheduling quiet time into your days? Unless you know where you are starting from, it is going to be extremely challenging to define where you’d like to be, and much easier to take on everything without intention and forethought.

2. Redefine what is valuable.

The world will attempt to define this for you on a daily basis. At any turn, it is easy to allow another person or entity to tell you what holds the most value in your life. If this is a system that works for you, go with it. But if not, take a step back and analyze it for yourself.

3. Welcome reality.

If you consider yourself on a budget of sorts, you may be able to better welcome and adhere to reality. With a strict budget, there is only so much money to spend. The same goes for your personal energy and engagement: once you’re tapped out, it is hard to refill and start over. Figure out ahead of time what your require in order to be the student you want to be: study groups, tutoring, time alone, breaks, staying busy, etc. If you are a parent, an employee, a friend, a partner, decide what of your personal energy is required to be the kind of (insert role here) you want to be, and then stick to your budget. Set boundaries respectfully, with yourself and others and practice enforcing them.

4. Adjust.

Work on your flexibility and forgiveness, with yourself and others. Recognize that it is easy for other people to place demands on you because it is their job to do so: your employers need your time and energy, your professors need your time and energy, your family needs your time and energy, your friends need your time and energy and all of this is okay. When you create expectations for yourself and others that are rigid and resentful, the stress will only increase. When you aren’t good at something, adjust. When a schedule changes that is out of your control, adjust. When life doesn’t happen exactly as it was supposed to, adjust. And then, when you figure out how to do that easily, write down a how-to and send it my way . .

5. Sleep.

Often for people, physical/mental health and sleep are the first things to go when life balance is out of sorts. Recognize now that none of the above practices are going to be possible for you if you are an exhausted, sick and emotional wreck 24/7. Be stingy with your time for rest.

Oh, and work out.

Thoughts on what helps you achieve balance and wellness in your own life? Please comment!

Conversations/resources/articles on this topic:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ronashkenas/2012/10/19/forget-work-life-balance-its-time-for-work-life-blend/

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/03/a_key_to_us_competitiveness_wo.html

http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/work-family

Posted by Malia Arenth, Career Services Counselor

It’s not uncommon for people to either change their career path partway through their lives, or even to fail many times before finding success. Here are some famous examples to help encourage you to follow your dreams and never give up:

J.K. Rowling

Rowling had it rough before Harry Potter hit success. Her mother died, she was divorced, and ended up in poverty raising a child by herself. Hers is the ultimate modern rags-to-riches story, going from living on welfare benefits to being a multi-millionaire in a matter of only a few years. She used many of the hardships she endured as inspiration for events and characters in the Harry Potter series.

Harrison Ford

Believe it or not, Harrison Ford became a professional carpenter after spending some time in Hollywood as an extra or in very minor, often uncredited, roles. His big break came when he was hired to build cabinets in George Lucas’s home, who subsequently cast him in American Graffiti and then, a few years later, as Han Solo in Star Wars.

Martha Stewart

Before Martha Stewart became an icon for domestic life, she was actually a stockbroker. She ended up moving to Connecticut and starting a catering business which would eventually morph into the multimillion dollar enterprise we know as Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

Henry Ford

Henry Ford actually had multiple failed attempts at starting his own company. His first company, Detroit Automobile Company, was dissolved by his board of directors. His next attempt, the Henry Ford Company, he left because of business disagreements with his partner. Learning from the mistakes he made along the way, he was able to recover and finally established the Ford Motor Company.

References:

50 Famous People Who Failed at Their First Attempt at Career Success

Seven Famous Career Switchers

11 Famous People Who Were in the Completely Wrong Career at Age 30

Posted by Deirdre Newton, Career Services Assistant

May 23^rd is National Lucky Penny Day. We are sure you have heard the phrase “see a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck.” Well, that is the theme of National Lucky Penny Day! Common activities include walking and looking for pennies, and researching the history of the Penny. Fundraising has a lot to do with luck –speaking to the right people at the right time –but there is a good deal of strategy involved, as well. Here are some things to think about when you are fundraising for your group, event, or start up business.

A great source of funding is securing a sponsor or an investor. Ask for money –it seems so simple. The important things to remember when asking someone to fund your mission are to be knowledgeable, flexible, and creative. Know your goals and be confident in them. You need to sound like you are operating a well-oiled machine and instill confidence in whoever you are pitching to. Your pitch needs to be creative and engaging but not harsh. You should of course be tough and determined, but be adaptable and respectful too. You want to show them you value their time, but you want to show them you value your own time as well.

It’s important to be ready for any questions, but you do not need to come up with an answer for everything –be realistic. According to consultant Paul Graham, one question you do not have to answer is “how much money are you trying to raise?” You do not need to have a fixed number. You should tell them there are different options depending on how much they are willing to give or different routes the venture could take depending on how much money you obtain. The message should be, “we will succeed no matter what, but we will do it faster or better if we have more money.”

In fundraising it is important to keep learning what works and what does not. In working with sponsors or investors, get over rejection quickly, learn from it, and go in again stronger. With other projects, take note of things that seem to be a better fit for your donors and your company. Keep the ideas flowing. It’s important not to put all your trust into one funding project, but there is a point at which you can have too many. You need to be in complete control of your funding plans, and not being able to contribute a significant amount of time to them will cause them to fail.

For the smaller groups, there are many exciting fundraisers you can do through a simple Google search which will produce infinite results and ideas. It is great to try things that are unique –the car wash and the bake sale do not promote excitement like they used to. Creating funny fundraisers will encourage people to invest in your group or mission just because they trust you are innovative and organized. Some of my favorite new ideas I found within a moment of my search were “capturing” an individual who has to raise “bail” to be released, or planting plastic flamingo’s in a company’s or a family’s yard with a note saying you will remove them for a fee, and put them in another yard of their choosing. The possibilities are endless.

It is important to make appropriate sacrifices when you are fundraising. You are expecting others to give up their funds to you, so it is fitting that you will give some things up, as well. Do not hesitate to put a little of yourself into your own project or group –be willing to give up your cup of Starbucks for a while and put that money to your mission. Or be willing to put your time into a rent-me-as-your worker fundraiser. Do what you can to connect yourself to your goal. In doing this, you are building trust with others and inspiring them to contribute. Donors are essentially giving to YOU.

Hopefully you had a little luck this Penny Day and picked up a few. But for the rest of your funding needs, consider what options are out there, and remember the tips we shared.

Resources:

http://www.paulgraham.com/fundraising.html

http://www.gone-ta-pott.com/national_lucky_penny_day.html

http://www.signupgenius.com/nonprofit/50-creative-and-easy-fundraising-ideas.cfm

http://www.franklycurious.com/index.php?itemid=1043

Posted by Casey Anderson, Career Services Assistant

Graduation is fast approaching for many at Oregon State, and with friends here and elsewhere attaining jobs, you may find yourself worrying and stressing over your lack of opportunities, or perhaps over your lack of a life goal in general. To you, the directionless majority, I am here to say, “Don’t worry. Stop stressing. Enjoy the ride.”

You have spent the last 4 years of your life attending class, studying for exams, and writing papers, and yet there is a good chance that what you majored in is now vastly different from your life aspirations. This is normal. This is ok.

I graduate next month with a Master’s in History, and yet now, after 4 years spent working towards a Bachelor’s and an additional 2 to get my Master’s, I know categorically that a career centered on History is not for me. This, too, is ok.

While many of us, including myself, are stressing over what our first post-college job will be, know that that job does not need to be the job you have for the remainder of your professional career. It is ok to try jobs outside of your comfort zone or away from your academic discipline. What we have learned in college is important and will continue to shape our personal and professional lives, and yet too often we allow our college education to shape and dictate everything about ourselves, sacrificing our creativity and personality along the way simply in order to obtain that first job that society approves of.

Don’t leave college thinking that your time here at Oregon State was a waste simply because you were unable to relay that newfound diploma into a high paying job. Look back on your time here as an experience in which what you learned outside of the classroom – living on your own, adjusting to a new city, meeting new friends – was just as important in shaping who you are and what you will do, as the courses you took and the pedagogical understanding you gained from them.

And to you, the few and proud who have a post-graduation job lined up, well you shouldn’t be reading this anyway. Get back to work.

Posted by Peter Rumbles, Career Services Assitant

Monday was April Fools’ Day and normally when one hears the word “April Fools’ Day” it’s normal to automatically think of April Fools’ Day as a day full of pranks and jokes, but it is advised to think twice before you celebrate this day of pranks at work.

Most work places suggest leaving the pranks and jokes at home because supervisors often aren’t amused by April Fools’ Day. According to a 2010 national survey study by The Creative Group, 68% of marketing and advising directors consider April Fools’ pranks to be unsuitable and unnecessary for the office. Many directors find that April Fools’ is counteractive to the professionalism that companies strive for and instill in their workers.

Depending on where you work and who you work for April Fools’ pranks may be appropriate based on the environment and position you hold within in a company. Knowing when to pull a joke is something important, for instance, you shouldn’t pull a prank during a major meeting with corporates, or pulling a mean prank on co-workers such as telling them an important meeting was cancelled when it wasn’t wouldn’t be wise. Unless your prank is work appropriate, can make someone laugh and have a good feeling at the end of the day then that’s tolerable amongst company directors.

It is important to understand the culture and philosophy before pulling a prank. Instead of pulling pranks at work on April Fools’ Day you can create other suggestions to bring some fun and laughter to your work environment without it being over the top and inappropriate. Here are some examples of ways to make everyday a fun day at work and not just on April Fools’ Day:

Create awards for co-workers: Honor your fellow workers in a fun way by creating certificates with nicknames that describe the person. An example would be someone who helps the most customers a day; you could honor them by saying “highest number of customer service daily”. Recognizing someone builds confidence and highlights their positive contributions to the company. Creating a positive work place builds stronger connections with your co-workers and bosses.
Don’t limit celebrations to once a year: Don’t just have that one big ‘end of the year party’, instead opt for celebrating more of the little holidays that don’t get much recognition. Have celebrations for other things that you think are important, for example you can have a celebration for the sequel of The Hobbit. That is a fun way to keep the office entertaining, amusing and engaging. Who doesn’t love The Hobbit?!
Celebrate outside the work place: Who said work is only till 5 pm? Take your co-workers and have fun outside of work. This is where you can pull pranks and jokes. Whatever is done out of the office should be kept separate from the office. Knowing when to keep things professional is essential. Having fun with co-workers outside of the office is a way to get to know each other while maintaining the standards of your superiors while in the office.

There are many ways to celebrate pranks and jokes not just on April Fools’ Day; the internet provides many fun ways to celebrate as an office in a professional manner. Take the time to look some of them up, apply it and have a blast. Don’t make your boss mad by pulling a horrible joke at work on him/her, instead be a good worker, work and know when to have fun. In the long run you will be thankful you didn’t pull a nasty prank during that corporate meeting, you just saved yourself your job.

Did any of you pull an April Fool’s prank in the office? Or have one pulled on you? Please comment if appropriate!

References:

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/morning_call/2013/04/april-fools-day-is-no-joke-in-the.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/31/april-fools-prank-workplace/2039969/

Posted by Lali Kaapana, Career Services Assistant

March 12, 2013 is Girl Scout Day! On this exact day back in 1912, the first Girl Scout meeting ever was held with a group of eighteen girls in Savannah, Georgia. Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low assembled this group of girls because she believed that all girls should have the opportunity to develop physically, mentally, and spiritually. Low organized service projects outdoor adventures, and enrichment programs to get girls out of the house and into the community to provide a helping hand! The mission statement of the organization is, “Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.” Over 3.2 million girls and adults are active Girl Scout members and over 50 million are Girl Scout Alumnae. Now aren’t those some impressive numbers!

Being involved in Girl Scouts is something that can provide young women with many transferable skills to enhance their professional development. Some of these things include the girls gaining an understanding of themselves, their values, their knowledge and skills to explore the world, all of these things extremely important for future careers. Some other important things they discover are their development of critical thinking in real life situations and how to deal with various challenges they will face throughout life. The connections the girls make and the relationships they build are amazing! Healthy relationships then promote the girls to effectively cooperate with people and work well in teams. The biggest thing these girls gain is a sense of empowerment along with leadership. They become empowered to make the world a better place and gain the necessary skills of a leader in order to do so.

Girl Scouts isn’t just all about the wonderful cookies we all know and love to purchase every year when they start selling them, or about the uniforms the girls wear with the hundreds of different patches on them that we stare at in awe because we aren’t familiar with what they’re for. The organization is about girls becoming women and having the guidance and role models to hopefully become ones who will make a difference, even if it’s just a small one. Take Girl Scout Day, March 12^th, 2013 as a day to recognize and appreciate all that the girls in the Girl Scout organization do for their local communities all around the world!

Sources:

http://www.punchbowl.com/holidays/girl-scout-day

http://www.girlscoutsindiana.org/Default.aspx?cid=ProgramOutcomes

Posted by Carly Larson, Career Services Assistant

Are you feeling really panicked, stressed out, or fed up? With dead week and finals week right around the corner, how could you not be? Well hold it in a little longer and then this Saturday, let it all out! Each year on March 9^th Americans celebrate National Panic Day. Panic and stress are part of our everyday lives and unfortunately, you can probably count on experiencing them even more once you start your first full-time career-related position.

You may be feeling like college is so hard that anything else will be easy in comparison, that once you let go of all those topics you don’t care about, and once you aren’t trying to balance so many extra-curricular activities, coursework, and a healthy social life, sometimes in addition to a part-time job, then you will be able to relax and just focus on your one new job. Well what we must realize is that this will be a whole new environment, with all new people to feel out and engage with and impress. You will also most likely really care about this job and being successful within your new company. In college you could start fresh every term and did not have to worry about getting fired for making a little mistake or having average or below average performance.

I do not mean to discourage you, most people love being out in the “real world” and it is that hope that you will continue doing well and be able to stay long term that this stress or panic comes from. What you need are some great tools in your belt to help you handle that work related stress or panic!

First, it is important to know some of the common causes of stress or panic in the workplace. That way you can handle them before they really start to bother you.

Miscommunication with your boss or coworkers
Increased pressure to perform without receiving increased job satisfaction
Being expected to give your fully best effort EVERY SINGLE DAY
Workplace bullying (less frequent, but it does happen, in multiple ways)
Some jobs are just more stressful – like when big decisions need to be made that will affect a lot of other people, or constantly working under a deadline.

Here are some of the most highly recommended tips in dealing with stress and panic on the job. They may seem really simple but have been proven to make a difference, so take them seriously:

Breathing Exercises: Stop your work for a while and take some deep breaths. This will help clear your head so you can put things in perspective. Deep breathing combined with some light stretching helps to calm your body and has been proven to decrease stress.
Take short breaks: You do not always need to be glued to your desk to be efficient at work or be seen as efficient by your coworkers. Get up and take a little walk or pick up a book for ten minutes. Do not think about your work tasks during this time. Again, it is all about rejuvenating yourself and clearing your head.
Prioritize: Make a list of all those things buzzing around in your head that you have to do, then decide which ones are the most important and put them in this order. Next, allot a certain amount of time for each one and make a point of getting it done in that amount of time! This will help you pace yourself, and make you let go of a really difficult task once you have given it your best effort.

If you are panicked due to a certain situation, or in dealing with another individual, here are some tips for calming yourself down:

Keep smiling: Just keep a smile on that face! The research proves that you can fool even yourself by keeping a smile on your face. When you are happy you smile, but it also works in reverse. Doing your best to make a genuinely happy face will trigger that emotion inside you.
Take a time-out: Apply the 10-second rule. It helps to just have a quick moment to gather your thoughts before you react. Swallow down that quick snap, literally swallow, and ask someone to hold for just a moment. Maybe go to the bathroom. Just grit your teeth and focus on that time to remove yourself.
Use the other person’s name: Using names makes everyone feel more responsible for their actions and makes everyone feel more connected to the conversation. It will also make you sound more sincere. Studies have also shown that saying someone’s name helps you to be more empathetic and really acknowledge the other person’s point of view.
Remember, taking graceful action is empowering! If the other person is acting immature or out-of-control, it will make you feel more in control of the situation to be the bigger person.
Vent outside of work: Write your feelings down then destroy the evidence. Share your woes with a patient friend, but be sure to let them share their problems with you as well. Ask someone you trust for an objective assessment of the situation. Then pat yourself on the back for rising above!

It is important to let go of your stress or anger at the end of each day. The nice thing about most jobs is that you do not have “homework,” so make sure you recognize that time outside of work is you-time, and do not let your to-do list distract you.

If you would like more tips about how to manage stress in the workplace, then check out this great posting on Helpguide.org

And of course, if nothing else works then just let it out! Saturday – run around in circles, pull your hair out, and exclaim “I can’t take it anymore!” Panic Day is your day!

Sources:

http://www.askmen.com/money/career_100/142_career.html

http://www.womansday.com/life/career-tip-keeping-your-cool-at-work-22001

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/work_stress_management.htm

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1580401,00.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/handling-stress-at-work.html

http://www.examiner.com/article/don-t-panic-march-9th-is-panic-day

Posted by Casey Anderson, Career Services Assistant

The Career Development Center Blog

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