Is it office stress or tension?

I just read a really great blog post by Sid Kemp, author of 10 books, executive coach, professional trainer, and life coach.  In his post, Sid discusses the difference between office stress and tension.  In his post, (you can read it here) Sid defines the differences very simply as, “Tension is real. Stress is a bad habit.”

He discusses the importance of finding the ideal level of tension in your work life.  Too little tension causes boredom.  Too much tension translates into stress.  Keep doing it steadily, and it’s called anxiety. Keep doing it until we get sick or just can’t work any more, and it can be the end of our business.

My favorite paragraph of his post is about knowing what you can control and what you can’t.  Mr. Kemp writes, “Every time a problem comes up, we can manage the messiness of life by asking, What about this can I not change, that I must simply accept? What about this can I change, in my direct control? And what influence do I have? Then we act in our circle of control, and use what influence we have.”  I am a firm believer in recognizing what we can change and when we recognize it, research how to make a change and then do it.  We often think we have to do everything on our own or with the resources we have always had at our fingertips.  Why not manage the messiness by trying something new and ask for a little help?

The whole article really is a great read for helping us to define if we are in a state of tension or stress and tips on how to find our perfect alignment in the office.  I have to say, it is one of the most enlightening applicable reads I’ve had in months.  Bravo, Sid!