Patricia Grant-Kitson, Career Writer



Job trauma is a term used to describe an emotional state caused by fear of job loss, increased work load and strained working relationships.

The result of this condition is emotional imbalance and a sense that one is not coping with things as well as one could.

If you are affected you may find yourself out of the loop of events at the office and co-workers may begin to avoid you as you are oversensitive, get upset too easily or are non-responsive when you should be involved.

Emotional stability is one of the 'Big Five' personality factors which measures and predicts employees' ability to cope with job-related stress. Employees may have positive (high scores) or negative (low scores) emotional stability. Persons with high scores are calm, self-confident, optimistic, more resilient and experience fewer negative emotions. Persons with low scores tend to be nervous, depressed and moody.

Here are some suggestions on how you can ward off or reverse this state of instability:

1. Cultivate a partner at work who can prompt you when you are acting inappropriately so you can quickly make behaviour adjustments.

2. Mount positive words, quotes or poems in conspicuous places at your work station so you can view them often to uplift you and keep you in a positive frame of mind.

3. Avoid being late for work and business events so you don't have to rush. Any undue physical and emotional trauma will only increase your stress quota.

4. Try listening to soothing music (rather than the news) at work and refuse to think of your unsolved problems.

5. Have a family-discussed contingency plan that will come into effect should you lose your job; have a plan for coping with daily and lifestyle expenses. Think out-of-the-box and take small steps toward making your situation better each day.

6. Take time out and have a little fun. Refrain from working late for a while and cut back on demanding after-work activities. Do something you enjoy immensely instead.

7. Maintain your connection with co-workers, family and friends especially those in positive situations. Do not become a recluse. You need to draw on the emotional strength of others.

8. Eat wisely, spend carefully and keep up with your personal care. Your emotional state deteriorates more when you neglect your personal appearance.

9. Finally, remember this is a temporary situation. Do not allow the events of this time to overwhelm you. Take it in stride and look to the future.

Patricia Grant-Kitson is a Human Resource Management & Training Consultant. patriciaktsn@yahoo.com

patriciaktsn@yahoo.com