Job stress: Take a page from these playbooks on how to cope

Everyone has their own way of coping with stress -- or not.

High school football coach Rodney Gray knows what can happen when job pressures go unchecked. “I don’t know if it was a panic attack or what, but I blacked out,” he says in a South Florida Sun Sentinel story. The report chronicles several coaches whose health became compromised by the demands of their work.

Of course, not everyone will have Gray’s reaction. But managing job stress can help make sure you don’t.

Here are some tips on how to get started from Helpguide.org:

Take responsibility for improving your physical and emotional well-being.

Avoid pitfalls by identifying knee-jerk habits and negative attitudes that add to the stress you experience at work.

Learn better communication skills to ease and improve your relationships with management and co-workers.

Need more help? Download a free copy of Montana State University’s comprehensive guide “50 Stress-Busting Ideas for Your Well-Being.” One of them is bound to work for you.