Component 5: Dealing With Stress (Important)

Stress and/or fear is a muscle designed to help the body perform, but if it's left active 24/7, your health will suffer.  Yes, there are 6 year olds in 3rd world countries that work 18 hours per day.  But that doesn't mean that you aren't deserving of a job where you can work in peace.  It's a right, and your responsibility to make sure you have a safe and healthy work environment.

"Some people die at 25, and aren't buried until 75."  Benjamin Franklin

Call Centers are a high stress environment, and one of the biggest problems is burnout due to stress.   For this reason, it's very helpful to understand how to manage stress due to Call Center work.   The company you work for can only do so much, and they are caught between applying too much pressure risking burnout, and not applying pressure risking laziness and apathy.   For that matter, you can burn out, but just not know it.  When this happens, you're usually in a daze, and work with lethargy wanting nothing more than the day or week to just be over.  Calls go on autopilot, and you're a statistical work drone just trying to survive.   Not very fun.   Most companies hand out stress balls, have activities, and contests to raise morale.   I've even worked for a company that had a subscription to a 24/7 on call psychologist service for employees to call if ever they needed to talk.  But, managing the stress is your job, and you can do it.

The best way to lower stress, is to change your environment.   The environment you are in is naturally a high stress environment where bosses can and will apply pressure.   To do this, as I've said a hundred times, work at your own pace.  Pick a good and fairly swift pace, and work at that.  If you are the one driving yourself, than your bosses won't have to, and they won't be the ones applying pressure.  You will, and you can manage your own pressure much better than someone else's.   If the workload is more than you can handle, than take a deep breath, and handle what you can handle.   It's the company's responsibility to have enough workers to handle the workload.

Take your breaks, and your lunches.   Eating away from your desk is a good idea as well.    If you're working through your breaks, you will burn out much more quickly.   Activities outside of work are great such as some sort of organized sports or group activity, or basically just anything.  If you have a social life outside of work, it will help tremendously.   Since you're sitting down all day, an exercise routine is extremely helpful.  Preferably more cardio, and watching the diet, but you don't want to completely cut out strength training either.   (Side note:  The company I currently work for has a gym.   It's freaking AWESOME!)

The next thing to do is try to focus on only one thing at a time.  I try to go for the task at hand because it's the task at hand.   The more you focus on simultaneously, the harder your job will be.   Under this umbrella, just try not to bring your work home with you, and try not to bring home to work with you.   That will help immensely.  Try working on one stat at a time instead of all together as suggested in Section 3:  Great stats that won't burn you out.    This one is more of a personal preference, but try not dating your co-workers.   Sure, you might fall; it happens.  But if you do, than you have a relationship at work, and thus, giving you more than one thing to think about when at work.   However, that's just my preference, and I've known quite a few great couples that worked wonderfully together.

After that, try to be organized at work.  Managing your schedule is very helpful, and use a calendar.  I personally prefer the Microsoft Outlook Calendar.   Keep your desk tidy, and full.   Office equipment, art,  and family photos are most certainly needed.

Never be afraid to take a day off if stress is getting to you.   Better you take a day off, than burn out.   You can even be honest with your boss.   If you're burning out, let them know.   They know exactly what kind of environment you work in because they have a hand in creating it.  When you tell them that you are taking a day off to protect yourself from burning out, they know they're pushing to hard.   There's no need to worry about your attendance either.   In the past 5 years, I've probably taken 1-2 days off per year for stress management, so my attendance is pretty much perfect.   If you don't take a day when you need it, your body will shut down later with something like the flu, or some illness you can't identify and you'll be taking time anyway.   Most importantly, if you take a day off, don't feel guilty about it.  Just relax, otherwise you won't get the full benefit for why you took the day.

Don't do drugs.  Call Center stress is purely external which means that if you were a fine whole mentally healthy person before you started your job, and 4-8 months in, get a prescription for anti-depressants, than you're on the wrong path.   CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy will help loads more than drugs will.   CBT deals with Cognitive Distortions which are faulty or fallacious ways of thinking that are usually negative in nature.  We all have our share of Cognitive Distortions.  For example, not acknowledging your crush because you don't think he/she will be interested in you.   You don't know that.  It's jumping to conclusions.   For that matter, I challenge you to go strike up a conversation if that's an issue.  You have 3 days.  Back on topic, because it's an external stimuli, drugs won't help.   All they will do is turn you into a catatonic drone that may or may not drool.  

Tip:  Read about Cognitive Distortions First, and gauge how much of a problem they are.  It's a much easier read, and if they are a problem, then read up on CBT.

Disclaimer:  I'm not a psychologist, and have absolutely no education in that medical field.  For that matter, you might have a chemical imbalance that needs medication.   I am merely a seasoned call center worker, and I know that external mind influences needs an external mind counter influence if you want to maintain a balance.  That said, a real mental health professional should be asked if you feel you need an assessment.

Go in Order.   When dealing with stress, start small, and work your way up.   There is no need to instantly seek out psychotherapy when you have a rough day.  Assess, and act accordingly.   If eventually you feel you need psychotherapy, than by all means.   There is no shame in it.  

The last suggestion is just to be aware.   Understand what type of environment you work in, and act accordingly.  Understand your current level of stress, and what you're capable of handling.  That way, if the threshold is reached, you can act.  If you are having stress problems, and panic attacks, or have been driven to medication, than it's probably a good idea to get out of there.   At this point talk to your bosses about stress, and stress management.   If you work for a good company, they will help you.  If you work for a not so good company, they may fire you.   Here's the interesting thing about firing you.  If the company is so bad, that they will lay you off for not being able to handle the high stress, than it's a good thing.  The stress of having no job will be much less than that.   Plus you should be able to collect unemployment.  Just document the visit with your boss, that way if you do get laid off, you have a story to tell the unemployment office.

All in all, if you take control of your existence, you should be able to manage all the stress associated with it.  If you can't, please ask for help.