Man & Work

Coping with Stress

You're supposed to be one of the company's bright young men and you know you have to shine on this assignment. The boss wants a report tomorrow. But right now, your mind is as blank as those pages you're supposed to fill. Your body may react dramatically to the pressure.

"A sledge hammer pounding on my skull" is the way one stockbroker describes his migraine headaches. And it doesn't stop with the pain. "The nausea comes in waves and my eyes won't focus," he adds. "I have to quit work, find a totally dark room and wait for it to pass." The cause? "A bad day will do it."

A young university professor was rushed from his classroom to a hospital. "I panicked," he remembers. "I just knew it was a coronary. I had stabbing chest pains and I couldn't breathe." The symptoms pointed to a heart attack, but the diagnosis was an acute anxiety reaction.

An urban planner one year out of graduate school says, "When a project gets tough, the stomach pains start."

Working may be hazardous to your health, but the problem may lie not in what you do but in how you do it. "Young executives often run in a frenzy trying to deal with the ambiguities of that first job," says Dr. Harry Levinson. a psychologist and consultant to corporations. You're naturally eager to put your skills to work and climb the corporate ladder, but your first task is to make yourself effective within the organization.

Often doctors can diagnose no organic causes for the tension, fatigue, headaches and muscle problems that afflict many young executives. Philip Goldberg, in his book Executive Health, calls such nonspecific responses to pressure stress. And researchers have implicated stress itself as a factor in heart disease, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, migraines and other disorders.

There are some things you can do to avoid frustration even before you're hired. If, for example, you're offered a position in which you'll deal with problems, make sure you'll have the authority to take action on those problems. Check out growth prospects in the field you're about to enter. From what departments have most of the firm's top managers been promoted? If you're trained in marketing and financial types predominate in the board room, that outfit may not be for you.

Occupational Hazards

Every worthwhile job will challenge you and impose demands. But what do you do when you're stuck or aren't sure of your next move? An advertising copy writer says, "I just can't afford writer's block." When the words won't come, he asks his colleagues for their ideas. They can always find some angle that hasn't occurred to him. Dr. Levinson sees a need to develop "creative evolving alliances" with others in a work group.

Companies themselves are starting to recognize the importance of cross-fertilization of ideas. One executive reports, "Planning, marketing and service all used to be independent departments around here. Now we realize that problems affect the whole company and we solve them as a team."

The line between hard work and potentially harmful pressure can blur. It's natural to feel nervous about a new job or assignment or a heavy work load. In his book Executive Stress, Levinson warns executives to expect "isolation and the temporary fear that you won't make it." But how do you know when you're approaching your limit? According to Goldberg, stress disorders are often preceded by psychological danger signals: working harder than seems necessary for a task, difficulty making decisions, excessive worrying, temper outbursts, feeling of worthlessness or inadequacy. But stress also crops up in some unlikely situations. As Hans Selye, the pioneer of stress research, has said. "Stress is the body's nonspecific response to any demand placed on it, whether that demand is pleasant or not." Your marriage, a move to another city, even a promotion can push you into a high-risk category.

Diffusing the Pressure

Start building your resistance now. Levinson feels that young executives often fool themselves into thinking they're immune to stress. But today's inconvenience can develop into a harmful habit. The hyperactivity you think it takes to get your career moving can set the stage for chronically poor efficiency.

Levinson, Goldberg and others describe strategies for dealing with "stressors":

• Set priorities. If you're involved in several projects, list them in order of importance.

• Keep to your normal routine. Deadlines and presentations will demand peak performance and perhaps extra time, but don't miss meals. Don't stay awake all night. Take breaks.

• Decompress. Keep some time for yourself. Use it for reflection or a hobby. Read light fiction before you go to bed.

• Spend time with others. You can't suddenly start relating to your girlfriend or wife when you make it to the next rung on the corporate ladder. Set aside weekends or plan activities you both enjoy. Midday phone calls can help you keep in touch.

• Exercise. Physicians note that increased strength and endurance can help meet the demands of mental tasks. Pick a sport and make it a part of your life. But leave the cutthroat competition for the market place.

• Reward yourself. You met the deadline. They loved your presentation. Treat yourself to a well-deserved evening on the town or that piece of stereo equipment you've eyed for so long.

Overwork has the bad reputation, but lack of stimulation and change can be equally stress inducing. "A man's conscience needs to be employed doing creative, constructive things," says Levinson. Challenge and stimulation are keys to personal growth. We're not saying it's easy. But you can achieve it. After all, you're a bright young man.