It’s difficult to achieve work/life balance when suffering from chronic stress. There’s a big difference between acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is a sharp, painful situation that comes on suddenly, you deal with it, and then it’s over. For example, the Californians who had to evacuate their homes in the face of a massive wildfire this past fall, while they were running for their lives, were suffering acute stress. Later, when the danger had passed and they returned to what had been their homes and town to find it had all been destroyed, their lives were turned upside down, and they were now suffering from chronic stress, a sense of loss and possibly despair, that was going to be with them for a long time. Most of us may never have to deal with the trauma of seeing everything we have worked to build turn to ashes, but we can be subject to chronic stress, nonetheless.

• Our relationships can be stressful
• Our living conditions can be stressful
• Our jobs can be stressful
• The demands to conform to societal norms can be stressful
• The daily commute can be stressful
• The pressure other people put on us can be stressful
• The pressure we put on ourselves can be stressful

I could go on. I’m sure you can think of other stressors too. I think just about everyone can acknowledge that they have been stressed at one time or another, and many probably feel stressed right now. I can relate. Given that we will most probably be put into a chronically stressful situation sooner or later in our lives, how should we respond to that stress so that it doesn’t destroy our health?

There are many different causes of chronic stress, as I enumerated above, and there are at least as many effective responses to those situations. Let’s look at a few of these in more detail.

If a relationship is causing you stress, I have found the best solution is to open a communication channel with the other person so that you both come to an understanding of why the other person is acting the way they are, and they can understand why you are acting the way you are. It could be that there is a misunderstanding that, once cleared up, can cause a change of behavior that will eliminate the stress, or at least reduce it to a tolerable level.

What if your job is stressful? If you make this clear to your supervisor, she may respond by restructuring your job so that it is less stressful. Sometimes this can’t be done. In such as case, perhaps your current profession is not the best fit for you. You might be much happier with a different kind of employment that makes different demands.

Perhaps the place you live is depressing you. Consider moving to a place where you feel more comfortable, and as a bonus, have a less stressful commute to work.

Whatever the situation that is causing you to be stressed out, you can do something about it to make things better. First, acknowledge the situation. Admit that you are stressed by your situation. Second, name the cause of the stress. Be honest with yourself in identifying the real cause. Third, consider your options. What could you do that would improve the situation. Fourth, choose a course of action. Fifth, take action. Just do it.

Bio:

Allen G. Taylor is a 30-year veteran of the computer industry and the author of over 30 books, including Develop Microsoft HoloLens Apps Now, Get Fit with Apple Watch, Cruise for Free, SQL For Dummies, 8th Edition, Crystal Reports 2008 For Dummies, Database Development For Dummies, Access Power Programming with VBA, and SQL All-In-One For Dummies, Second Edition. He lectures internationally on astronomy, databases, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He also teaches database development and Crystal Reports through a leading online education provider. For the latest news on Allen’s activities, check out his blog at www.allengtaylor.com or contact him at allen.taylor@ieee.org.