When I was in high school, our careers adviser told me that I was a ‘creative type’, and suggested that I try my hand at architecture. Well, that would probably have been a good time to let me know that the bulk my time in this role would arguing with clients over the phone while madly trying to stay financially afloat. Good times!
Seriously, it would be more manageable if there was some kind of preparation for job stress; surely it could be fitted somewhere into the curriculum of learning to be an adult? Oh, wait – that’s not something you study at school, or uni, or anywhere. I realise, by the way, that this kind of workplace anxiety is pretty normal. But in my opinion, it doesn’t really help to know that half the people I’m interacting with are similarly freaking out.
Maybe I need to enroll in one of these corporate stress management programs. Melbourne businesses use them a lot. I wonder where’s the best place to start? Should I have a personal consultation, or should I book some sort of workshop for my whole team? I guess both of those options would serve its own purpose – the former would be more tailored to my personal needs, which seems pretty important, but the latter would improve the group dynamics, which is also looking necessary. What to do?
For starters, I could try not freaking out over making this relatively minor decision… I can feel my cortisol levels rising already. I’ll just start by researching stress management training providers and go from there, and perhaps remember to breathe while I’m at it. Hey, I’m getting the hang of this already!
I guess I’m a tad worried that my team will think I’m accusing them of being dysfunctional if I arrange an all-in workplace training session. Again, though, that’s just me allowing the stress of those around me to be a problem in itself and influence my decision-making. Sorry, careers adviser, but you’re about to be replaced by a stress management consultant.