Keeping Work Stress Under Control at Home
We've tackled this subject here before, but, it seems like something we all face regularly: Keeping work stress at bay when we get home. It's becoming harder as the economy and its problems hit closer to home, with colleagues being laid off, clients disappearing and worries about whether or not our jobs are secure (and if they are, will there be a raise next year?).
I've been pretty good at leaving work stress at the door. When I walk in and my son comes running, arms outstretched, yelling 'Mommy, mommy,' the stress kind of melts away. Working at a newspaper has it's fair share of tense moments. That's particularly true these days, especially at a financial newspaper. I find that lately it's been harder to leave the day at the door. I still give the big hug and smile, but the stress of the previous 9 or 10 hours seems to hang with me for longer.
It's a little worse for my husband, who works in risk management. His clients and his book of business are directly impacted by the financial meltdown. One of his clients no longer exists, others have been bought up or merged into companies that aren't his clients. He's scrambling to make up for lost business while also maintaining what he has. The result: Almost every night for the past several weeks, he comes home and starts with, 'You would not believe what happened today,' before proceeding to spill the stress of the day.
Sometimes, I feel like I've just had half the weight of the flailing market unloaded on me! And our son listens, bewildered (he just turned 3, after all) and waits for daddy — or mommy, if it's been a very stressful day — to finish up. I've started stopping my husband immediately with a gentle reminder that maybe he could wait until he at least says hello and gives out a few hugs.
Readers, how do you check stress at the door? Are you finding it harder? Do you have any cooling-off rules? |
|
