Work can be stressful. This is certainly not news to you. Whether you are an audiologist or another team member at the practice, you are bound to experience stress in the workplace at some point or another. How you handle workplace stress can make all the difference in your success, as well as your business and employees’ success.
However, workplace stress can be a challenging issue. You probably interact with a variety of people every day – your patients, their families, and your team members. Each of them has the potential to bring a different kind of stress into your workday. So how can you keep your cool in the face of stress? To help you successfully navigate these stressful situations, here are a few simple tips:
- Remember that people are watching. At your workplace, you always have an audience. Depending on the situation, your audience may be patients, families, or team members – or a combination. They all expect a certain level of calm, integrity, poise, and grit from you. Remember that your patients deserve the best in you, as does your team.
- Practice pausing. When you find yourself in a stressful situation that is making you lose your calm, take a moment to intentionally pause. Mentally say the word, “Stop,” to yourself. This short pause can give you time to collect yourself and respond with poise rather than immediately reacting to the stressful trigger.
- Know when to let go. You cannot “win” every discussion or disagreement. If you are having a disagreement with someone and it is causing stress, you may need to simply agree to disagree and move on from the situation. If a conversation is getting nowhere due to differing opinions, it may be the best option to simply disengage and move on.
- Acknowledge that you aren’t always right. Everyone appreciates it when you can admit that you were wrong. If you realize that you are in the wrong in any type of situation, let go of your ego and admit your mistake. Others won’t think less of you for it; in fact, they’ll probably respect you even more for being able to admit your error.
- Set an example of calmness. Think of how you would want your fellow team members to react and respond in a stressful situation, and then act that same way. You can set the example to your team of being calm and poised in stressful situations. And when you act calmly, rationally, and positively, you are also more likely to receive similar treatment from the other person involved.
- Practice good workplace sportsmanship. Navigating workplace relationships and situations can be tricky. Never say anything you would regret, such as taking a cheap shot at someone, making a big deal out of a trivial issue, or blaming someone else for a problem. If a potentially stressful situation seems to be approaching, take the position as the listener rather than starting an argument.
With practice, these simple strategies for handling workplace stress will begin to come more easily to you. To learn more about how to handle stressful situations at work and how to help your practice be more successful, we welcome you to contact us today at AudiologyPlus. We are eager to speak with you!
