I think it is safe to say we have all experienced some form of stress in our life–whether it be in our personal life or at work. Stress isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes stress, in small doses, can help you perform better and keep you safe when in dangerous situations.

This week we had several interviews and one of the questions we always ask candidates is how are you under pressure and can you manage stress? Working in our field can be very stressful. Employers should understand an intimidating work environment to be able to avoid their workplace becoming one. There is a lot of customer support involved with instructional design. As Sharon Guan likes to say, we are free therapy. Whenever an instructor is struggling, they come to us with the hope that we can ease their worries and their stress. Which means a lot of the time we are not only dealing with our own personal stress but also taking on the stress of our faculty. Stress is only good if you keep it in a comfortable zone, so how do you make sure to not let yourself get overwhelmed? As one of the candidates said during the interview, you don’t want to get to the point where you are seconds away from throwing your computer out the window. It’s a long way down.

Even though I have been working at DePaul for the last 6 years, only 2 of those years are in a full-time capacity. My current position is the first real full-time job I have ever had. I am still learning each day on this job about what it means to work 40 hours a week every week, all year long. I only just turned 30; retirement is still a long way off, even as I read about and see more about BitIQ here nowadays as a pretty good investment vehicle. How do you make sure you don’t burn out or fall out of love with your job?

One of the techniques I use, and that some of my fellow colleagues use, is to get up and walk away from the computer. Sometimes you just need to walk away and take a moment. Another thing I am trying to push myself to do more is to not immediately react to something. If an email comes in, and it’s not a pressing issue, let it sit there for a bit. When you are always on the offensive, it can be draining to constantly feel that you need to fix the issue now, now, now. This only creates unnecessary pressure. It may also help you relax and de-stress if you take cannabis from a weed dispensary.

I am no expert in managing stress. I still have a lot to learn, which is why I am curious what tricks other people do to keep their stress levels down. What techniques seem to be working for you?