Twenty-five percent of people say that their work is the primary stressor in their lives.

It is also believed that on-the-job stress is worse today than it was just 10 years ago. Work stress can be caused by things such as job dissatisfaction, an exhausting workload, insufficient pay, office politics and conflicts with your manager or colleagues. Stress can affect your professional and personal relationships, your livelihood and your health.

Your personality and life experiences influence the way you respond to stress. A situation that seems like an exciting challenge for some may leave you sleepless at night.

It is important to understand which situations are stressful to you and how you respond to these situations. Understanding your responses to stress will not only help you through career transition period but it will also assist you in selecting appropriate job roles.

Have you ever stepped out of an argument or conversation to watch what you were doing and what impact you were having? If not then it is time to start paying close attention to your actions and reactions. What do you do when the talking turns tough? What tactics you typically revert to when caught in the midst of a crucial conversation? Do you tend to attack or retaliate?

Think about the following questions and try to identify your most common reactions and behaviours in stressful situations:

• Do you tend to avoid situations that may bring you into contact with people you are having problems with?
• When it comes to dealing with awkward or stressful subjects do you hold back or give your full candid opinion?
• When you lose control of a conversation do you tend to cut people off or change the subject in order to bring it back to where you think it should be?
• If you are stunned by a comment do you say things that others might take as forceful or attacking (for example, “Give me a break!” or “That’s ridiculous!”)?
• When you find yourself in the middle of a tough conversation, do you get so caught up in arguments that you miss how you are coming across to others?
• Do you tend to argue hard for your view hoping to keep others from bringing up opinions that would be a waste of energy to discuss anyway?
• When things get tense do you adapt quickly to how others are responding to you and try a new strategy?
• If you do not get your own way on something important do you keep quiet or make sure that everyone knows you are unhappy?

Give this a go, consider:

• What situations make you stressed?

• What behaviour do you display when you are under pressure?
  

Think about the situations that have caused you stress in the past and your reactions to them.

Response to stress can be physical, emotional download the list of response to help you identify how you react when placed in stressfu situations

Transfer the most obvious and frequent situations and/or behaviours onto your career map.