Don’t Know If You’re Stressed Out? Ask A Co-Worker

photo courtesy of http://flic.kr/p/5tffVo

Although you may think you have your stress under control, chances are, others around you see it differently.

In Tom Searcy’s “3 Signs That You Are Stressed Out (And How To Fix It),” he describes his mentor perfectly organizing her sock drawer when things begin to spin out of control. “When my sock drawer is perfectly folded, sorted and lined up, I know that I am out of control in my life.”Never Let Them See You Sweat

It’s natural to assume (especially in the company of others) when we feel out of control, we adopt predictable behavior patterns that help us cope with the situation.

Searcy lists 3 behaviors you might be familiar with:

1. Elevator button follow-up—We’ve all pushed an elevator button several times with the ridiculous belief that doing so will make the elevator move faster. Badgering your employees about projects is equally fruitless. If you are constantly following up on assignments before the due date, you may be a little out of control.
2. Majoring in the minors—Early in my career I watched a CEO go on a ten-minute rant on the proper placement of the toilet paper roll in the executive bathroom, (note- he prefers the paper to “present itself”…25 years later, I remember this rant). If the little things are making a big impression on you, then you may be a little out of control.
3. Lists of your lists—If you have so many items on your to-do list that you need a separate list for your lists, you are definitely out of control.

How about you? Are you pencil tapper? A nail biter? A micro-manager?

If so, how do you cope with it?

Related articles

• Your Employees Are More Stressed Than You (inc.com)
• Is Your Body Signaling Stress? (drlauraberman.com)
• Why Work Stresses Us Out (and What We Can Do About It) (lifehacker.com)