Go Ahead and Vent..but Find the right Listener
Here is the Goal: To be able to blow off steam without damaging your reputation.
Understanding how stress works will only get you so far. You need cathartic relief, right? Don’t hesitate to seek the empathetic ears of a colleague, but do choose your confidant wisely. The more you say to a person you work with, the more likely something will slip out at work.
You don’t want co-workers using your misery to their advantage, so find someone with a sterling reputation whom you know and trust.
As counterintuitive as it sounds, in some cases your boss may be your best confidant. Sure, you don’t want to make much ado about the minor daily stresses of your job, but if you’re struggling with something major that affects your performance, talk to your boss. After all, managers are invested in the success of their employees. A brief explanation (keep the hairy details to a minimum) is not only fair, it’s also a way to build trust.
If you’re going to go to your boss, schedule a time to talk instead of dropping by unexpectedly when they may be in the middle of grappling with the demands of their own job.
Prepare for your conversation. Bring in notes to help you stay on track.
Regardless of whom you talk to, vent once, then let the issue rest. Constantly rehashing the story will force you to relive your emotions and irritate the listener.
If you have to do a difficult task, the conversations didn’t make the task any easier, but they will help you cope with your own internal struggles.

Controlling your Stress
A certain amount of daily stress is normal. Stress is simply your reaction — either positive or negative — to change. When stress places prolonged pressure on your coping mechanisms, it can become a problem that requires professional help. Continued high stress can wreak havoc both physiologically and psychologically.
Internally, stress comes from your perception of a situation. For example, if your boss emerges from a long, meeting looking upset, and sends you an email requesting a meeting, do you immediately think the worst? If so, you have triggered your body to go into a stress reaction.
You can’t always eliminate the stress, but you can change your response and calm your mind.
Keep a list of everything in your day that causes you stress. Pinpoint how every item on the list makes you feel and then ask yourself, “Is my reaction appropriate or over the top?” This step is key, because once you understand where your emotions are coming from, you can find a healthier way to deal with them.
External factors, like toxic work environments, also drive workplace stress. Common characteristics of stress-inducing environments include authoritarian or noncommunicative supervisors, socially isolating work, and jobs that require a lot of effort but offer little reward.
Eliminating the source of the problem (i.e., finding another job) may be the most effective solution. But until the job market improves, find ways to regain a sense of control over your time and your surroundings.
For example, if you must endure stressful rush-hour traffic to arrive at the office by 8 a.m., start your workday earlier to avoid travelling at the worst time of day. If you work with difficult people, close your office door or take your work to a conference room so your exposure to them is reduced.
You may not be able to control the stimulus...but you can control the response...so relax and make it a less stressful one!
Taken from a Stress Management Seminar from Dr. Mimi Hull

5 Ways to Deal with Change
Change is inevitable and hard! So what can you do to make it more comfortable and successful?
1. Invest your energy in making quick adjustments to the change. – Don’t focus on what life was like before the change or find ways to rebel. Accept that change has occurred. It is better to be a change agent than a change blocker!
2. Determine how the game has changed. Reorder your priorities. – Take a step back and learn why the change occurred. This will help you figure out ways to work with the change and have the change work for you.
3. Don’t worry about the bad things. - Focus on the bright side. Maintain a positive attitude to help you through tough times and long days.
4. Keep in step with the organization’s intended pace of change. – Speed up. Don’t drag your feet in this process. Decide to adapt to change and work with it to help avoid conflict later on.
5. Keep a positive attitude and a sense of humor. - Encourage others around you and focus on the positive. Be an advocate for the change. Express the reason why you feel this change will be a positive one for your organization.
A thought: The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.
(From Change Workshop - Dr. Mimi Hull)

Becoming More Resilient
Are you being tyrannized by your emotions? If so here are three hints to help you escape the tyranny!
Rethink your standards: If your failure to achieve perfection causes continual guilt and frustration, redefine what success means. For example, if you always feel inundated with work, ask yourself if you’re spending more time on tasks than they really require. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by making a task harder than it needs to be.
Re-frame your situation: If weather delays your flight to an important business meeting, instead of stewing about the disruption, over which you have no control, take advantage of the extra time to prepare for your presentation, catch up on reading or even sleep.
Reassess the significance of the problem: Will it matter tomorrow? Next week? A year from now? Emotion magnifies the difficulty of a problem in the moment; perspective shrinks it. So make sure you give yourself a steady dose of the latter.
(From Building Resiliency Seminar - Dr. Mimi Hull)

Keys to a Positive Work Environment
Keep your employees informed – The more information your employees receive, the less they assume; and... the less chance for miscommunication and useless rumors and gossip.
- Transparency – Don’t hide things. If the goal is to work as a team, access to information is essential to success.
- Honesty – Information that you pass on to your employees must be true. 100% of the time!
Balance criticism with praise. – Correcting an employee’s mistakes is necessary and deciding on disciplinary action is appropriate, but also understand that people need to hear the good things they have done as well. People are motivated when they hear at least two praises for every criticism.
Public vs. Private - Praise in public, and more important...criticize in private.
Don’t over-work – Emphasize the importance of getting work done on time, meeting deadlines, and being productive. However, don’t forget the human factor. Unexpected circumstances occasionally arise and flexibility and caring build loyalty.
Learn to Laugh – Laughter is good for you. Remember to smile. Tell an appropriate funny joke here and there. Remember, that if you are poking fun at someone, it needs to be yourself. We spend way too much time at work to not enjoy the people we have around us.