Last week in my Miami Herald column, I wrote that workplace stress levels are at an all time high. Many employers could care less about their stressed out workers and it's causing people to have meltdowns in the office.
For years, experts have said a little bit of stress is good, referring to the short-term jolt that comes before making a presentation, not the extreme kind prevalent in workplaces today. ``We're way beyond the level of it being motivating,'' says Helen Darling, president of the Washington-based National Business Group on Health.
Today, I find out that I live in one of the most stressful places in the country. Miami-Fort Lauderdale ranked among the 10 most stressful metropolitan areas in America, according to a study conducted by the South Florida Business Journal. Portfolio.com and bizjournals created a 10-part formula to estimate the stress levels in the nation’s 50 biggest metro areas, using the latest data available from several government agencies and private firms on factors including unemployment, poverty, crime and traffic, and how many sunny days a city has.
Markets with high stress: Detroit, Los Angeles, Cleveland; California’s Riverside; St. Louis; New York City; New Orleans; Chicago; Birmingham, Ala.; and Miami-Fort Lauderdale.
Markets with low levels of stress are Salt Lake City, Minneapolis-St. Paul; Raleigh, N.C.; Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City; Denver; San Antonio; Kansas City and Phoenix.
Click here to read the complete list.
Some people have told me the are turning to yoga for help with stress. September happens to be National Yoga Month. Many local yoga centers are offering discounts or free classes. CEO Walid Wahab, a Miami homebuilder, says it has been key to keeping him focused on the job.
There are many different opinions regarding what a stress management programs should include. Some stressed-out workers have turned to medication; others have gone the route of meditation. I pretty sure many people are doing nothing and walking around ready to snap at any given moment.
How do you keep your stress levels down? Do you feel like you are more stressed than you were a year ago?
Hey Cindy - Great post. I think we all can feel stressed every now and then. Many people recommend yoga to me for stress-relief as well. I did my research and found it to be based in Hinduism - not something I really believe in.
Even the so-called benign, non-religious form of yoga has hints of Hinduism in it (saying "namaste" for instance). So I've shied away from it and focus on Christian alternatives to yoga. This is much more in line with my beliefs. Here are a few links:
http://www.praisemoves.com
http://www.wholyfit.org
Posted by: Lisa | September 08, 2010 at 05:38 PM
Workplace stress is causing a lot of people to just up and quit. Having a boss that doesn't care about what you go through to do your job makes it pretty easy to lose it and walk away. Working from home is a great way to remedy that problem.
Posted by: OnlineSurveyJobs | September 09, 2010 at 10:54 PM