Stressful professions come in all shapes and sizes – and stress at work can often be quite an individual experience, with some people feeling more stress in certain positions compared with others. Law enforcement, health professionals, prison officers, and other public service professions all tend to come with their fair share of stress, while other positions such as working on oil rigs, construction, and firefighting come with a level of risk and danger that can become stressful over time. If you’re working in a stressful career – whether it’s listed above or not – then it’s important that you are able to deal with it in a way that’s both responsible and healthy, to ensure your own wellbeing is protected and you can take control over every working day. With the right stress management techniques, even the most stressful and risky of careers can actually be enjoyable. And you probably wouldn’t have chosen the career that you’re in if some part of it hadn’t appealed to you.
#1. Get the right life insurance:
Having the right life insurance is crucial – but even more important if you work in a career where your health and life are put at risk more often than most people would be subjected to. If you’re working in dangerous settings like fighting fires or chasing criminals, then life insurance will provide you with that important peace of mind you get from knowing your family will be protected financially if the worst were to happen. Hopefully, you’ll never need to use it, but it’s important to have. Your employer may offer life insurance as a benefit, or to avoid high rates that often come with working in a high-stress, risky career, use a broker to find specialist insurance companies that are aimed at police officers and people working in similar risk positions.
#2. Speak to somebody:
When you are dealing with a lot of stress, pressure, and even danger on a day to day basis, it’s absolutely crucial that you are able to get those feelings and emotions out and make sense of them. If you prefer, you could talk to a trusted colleague who understands what you are going through, or a friend or relative who’s understanding, supportive, and willing to lend a listening ear. And, remember that there is no shame in getting professional help. In fact, most high-stress positions will give employees access to a psychologist at any time they need because they know just how important it is to talk it through issues. Remember that speaking to a therapist doesn’t mean you’ve failed – it just means that you need to talk about things, and that’s a very healthy step forward. Don’t bottle things up!
#3. Keep a diary:
Often, writing things down can be an excellent way to get them off your chest and stop the power of your thoughts and emotions from having a hold over you. Writing things down is also very private, so if you’re not ready to speak to somebody about a certain work situation, or something that you’re feeling just yet, then keeping a diary could help. Whether you prefer to go into lengthy detail or just scribble a few notes about your day, you can do whatever works best for you.
Conclusion
Finally, make sure that you are practicing good self-care and taking some time on a regular basis to do something that makes you happy and is completely unrelated to work. Spend time with non-work friends, treat yourself to a massage after a stressful day, and spend time with your kids and switch your phone off. ‘Me’ time is absolutely crucial, no matter how demanding your job is.