Dr. Linda Mintle

Author: Dr. Linda

  • Managing Job Stress

    Competing in the global market has brought change to American industry. More Americans are working harder and longer hours just to maintain their current standard of living. Yet, many still contend with the real possibility of losing jobs and the fear of not making ends meet on their current salaries. American workers are experiencing a loss of control and feelings of hopelessness. If these things are causing stress in your life, here are some tips to help you deal with it.

    Stressed on the job? Workers are paying an enormous price. Social life and family life are disrupted. Physical health and psychological health are compromised. According to Steve Sauter, Ph.D., chief of the applied psychological and ergonomics branch of NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), more jobs have been lost in the past few years, than in the two previous decades.

    Are downsizing and wage inequality sources of job stress? You bet. People fear losing their jobs, and they worry about their performances.

    Too many leave work feeling drained and used up. Obviously, this leaves little to give to others, particularly family.

    Consider the fact that a third to a quarter of workers experience high job stress. One of the biggest problems has been the number of hours people work. The average workweek has increased by eight percent. Most people work about 47 hours, with 20 percent of the population working up to 49 hours a week. Even though people are working harder and longer, they still contend with the real possibility of losing jobs and the fear of not making ends meet on their current salaries.

    Competing in the global market has brought change to American industry. Some would say the biggest change is an unequal distribution of wealth and income. Consequently, people work harder just to maintain their current standard of living. Many find themselves always behind and stressed.

    As a result of these circumstances, workers experience a loss of control and a feeling of hopelessness about the future. This is stressful.

    So, what can you do to manage job stress?

    Acknowledge that changes are occurring. Companies are downsizing and global markets are making competition for jobs more intense. Change is inevitable, and you need to be ready for it.

    Don’t panic if you are laid off. God is your provider, not a company or person. Be faithful in your response to the situation and trust God to lead you to the next job. Do all you can to seek employment and depend on God to act on your behalf.

    Get a quality education. People who are college-educated do better in this economy.

    Be a good steward of all you have. Don’t spend beyond your means, and don’t go into debt. Put aside savings for difficult times.

    Maximize your work time. Don’t waste time on unimportant things. Get a clear description of what is expected and how you will be evaluated.

    Be of integrity on the job. If you read the Scriptures, you will see that God wants to bless you and provide for you. Line up your life in accordance to God’s Word and be strong in your faith. Believe what God says about finances and act according to his principles.

    Understand what you can and cannot change. Work on the “can” part.

    Practice stress management skills. Leave the job at the job so that you can give full attention to your family, spouse and your physical, emotional and spiritual health.

    Maintain a sense of humor. Humor relieves stress and can help you enjoy the workplace.


  • Smokers More Stressed Than NonSmokers

    You may think smoking relaxes you. Think again! Smokers are more stressed than nonsmokers.

    Have you ever said this, “I smoke because it calms me down. I need cigarettes to relax me?” You may be surprised to learn that this is NOT true. Smoking doesn’t calm you or relieve stress like you may think.  In fact, smokers have higher rates of stress than nonsmokers. Why? Nicotine dependency actually exacerbates stress.

    Yet 80% of smokers surveyed actually believe smoking relaxes them. Since we know that nicotine doesn’t calm people (it is not a sedative), it may be that the lack of nicotine between smokes is what makes a regular smoker irritable and stressed. In other words, irritability and stress build up during periods of the day when you don’t smoke. Smoking only reverses the tension and irritability built up during nicotine abstinence. As you withdraw from nicotine between smokes, you feel the irritability. Smoking stops that temporary nicotine withdrawal.

    In a study by Parrott & Garnham (1998), smoker stress was found to be the same as nonsmokers. During periods of nicotine abstinence, however, smokers actually had worse stress levels. So instead of reducing anxiety, smoking may cause more.

    Now your saying, “OK but when I quit, I am more stressed.” Again, not so. According to research, quitting reduces stress.  No studies found former smokers more stressed than those who continued to smoke. What was noted (Hughes, 1992) was that in the first few days after quitting, people have more anger, anxiety and restlessness. Two weeks later, people settle down and eventually report improved mood.

    So the next time you hear someone say, “Smoking relaxes me,” tell him he’s misinformed. Not only is nicotine highly addictive but it can create stress as well. Hopefully, this will give you and others another good reason to stop smoking.

    Parrott, A.C. & Garnham, N.J. (1998). Comparative mood states and cognitive skills of cigarette smokers, deprived smokers and nonsmokers. Human Psychopharmacology, 13, 367-376.

    Hughes, J.R. (1992). Tobacco withdrawal in self-quitters. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 689-697.

  • 5 Lifestyle Stress Questions

    What are you doing to reduce stress in your life?

    Stress is something we all experience. Your lifestyle can add to stress or it can help calm you down. What are you doing to reduce stress in your life? Evaluate your lifestyle by answering these five questions. Are there things you can change today that would make you feel better? The answer is probably,” Yes!”

    Five lifestyle questions to ask:

    1. Do I have effective ways of relaxing? We all need down time. Therefore, identify ways to relax and rejuvenate your body and mind. Relaxation isn’t something you do once a year on a cruise to the Bahamas (although this can’t hurt). Relaxing should be a regular, practiced part of your life. You need balance in all things. Even God rested on the seventh day! Relaxation keeps stress from building up and provides an avenue for releasing tension.

    2. Do I exercise regularly? So many of us know the importance of this but don’t do it. The benefits of exercise are enormous. Exercise can reduce muscle tension and frustration in addition to providing a host of medical helps. So why don’t we regularly exercise? Either we don’t have a moment to fit it in our day or we don’t enjoy it.  The solution is to make time and pick something you like. For example, I tried running. I gave it six months, did it six days a week and hated it. I am not a runner but put me on a pair of roller blades and I can have a good time. Find something you like–bike riding, dancing, skating, basketball, tennis, skiing, walking, ping pong–anything that gets you active and off that couch.

    3. Do I eat sensibly? I’m not talking dieting here. I’m asking if you eat good healthy foods that provide nutrition and health benefits. Do you skip meals, eat burgers in the car while talking on your cell phone, and find yourself at the drive-through regularly? Decrease your caffeine intake (can trigger panic), reduce salt, eat more organic and less processed foods, and eat foods that give energy and staying power. Get the vitamins and supplements you need, particularly B, C and calcium for women.

    4. How well do I manage my time? So many people spend energy on things that are unproductive or take too much of their time. Learn about time management and ways to maximize your efforts. If you are not meeting deadlines, procrastinate or obsess over a project, you need help. Some people have to learn to move things along, others to slow down and do things correctly. You only have so much time in a day so it is important to learn to prioritize and be realistic about goals.

    5. Do I get enough sleep? Sounds like a simple question but so many clients I see have terrible sleep habits. It is important to go to bed at a regular time and get into a sleep routine. This means start winding down a few hours before you go to sleep. Here’s an encouraging thought–sex usually helps people sleep (Use only if this morally applies!).

    Take a minute (don’t tell me you are too stressed!) and begin to ask these questions. Then, work on making simple but important lifestyle changes.

  • Desk Rage

    The work environment is now a place of unleashed rage for too many Americans. Yelling and verbal abuse can be heard down the hallways of various companies and industries. The response to that behavior is something the media has dubbed, “desk rage”. That’s right, you’ve heard of road rage, even air rage, now we have to contend with hostility and violence in the workplace called desk rage.

    From a psychological perspective, desk rage is simply rudeness, hostility, physical violence and aggression found in the workplace. A National Crime Victimization Survey (2000) found that Americans experienced approximately 2 million threats of violence and assaults at their workplace. Of that number, 1.5. million were simple assaults. And another study out of the University of North Carolina documented that at least half of the workers interviewed worried about rude and hostile behavior directed at them. This worry affected their work-related productiveness as well. Overall, revenue related to lost productivity, increased security, insurance related payment, and other expenses is estimated to cost employers between 6.4  and 36 billion dollars.

    What’s going on that so many Americans are going postal? It appears that desk rage is triggered by stress–boredom, anxiety, lack of control, demands of the job, overcrowding, noise, etc. And while employers are now trying to deal with the problem by finding solutions that decrease stress, such as more than flexible work hours or improved benefits, more is needed.  People have to learn anger management, ways to assert themselves positively and constructive ways to handle their negative emotions. In a nutshell, people need stress management. Here are ten tips taken from my Breaking Free from Stress booklet:

    1. Be ready and accepting of change. Change is inevitable in today’s work environment. Adjust your expectations. Be ready for it instead of resisting it.
    2. Don’t panic if you are laid off. With corporate downsizing, global market changes, outsourcing, etc. people lose their jobs even when they do well at their jobs. God has to be your ultimate source of provision.
    3. Get a quality education and explore fields that are growing such as technology and health. Skill development helps make you more marketable.
    4. Be a good steward of your finances. Don’t spend beyond your means or rack of credit card debt. Put money away for a difficult time.
    5. Maximize your work time. Be clear on what is expected so you know how you will be evaluated. Minimize distractions.
    6. Have integrity on the job. Do not compromise your beliefs and line up your behavior according to biblical directives. Anger management is biblical. Read what the Bible has to say about properly dealing with anger.
    7. Know what you can’t change and accept it.
    8. Be balanced. Have a life after work that involves relaxation, family, friends and a vibrant spiritual walk.
    9. Keep your humor. It relieves stress.
    10. Don’t easily take offense and offer forgiveness even when it isn’t requested.

    People in the workplace won’t always behave nicely or properly. You be the model of Christ. Your influence could make a difference. And if you need additional help, I suggest you pick up a copy of Breaking Free from Anger and Unforgiveness. Stress will never disappear but our reaction to it can be godly. Wouldn’t it be great if our stressed out co-workers came to us and said, “Hey, you are in the middle of all this craziness too. How do you manage it?” What an opportunity to talk about the peace of God, the fruit of the spirit and forgiveness.


  • Divorce Puts You At Risk for Illness

    Divorce is a traumatic event that no one enjoys experiencing. As a life stressor, divorce ranks number two, and martial separation ranks number three on the well-known Holmes and Rahe (1967) stress scale. Only death of a spouse ranks higher.

    Because the process of divorce is such a stressful transition time, you need to be aware of the effects it can have on your emotional and physical functioning. Marital separation is the most powerful predictor of emotional and physical illness. When you compare divorced adults to married adults, the health news is generally not good.

    Divorced adults are:

    · More susceptible to emotional and psychological problems

    · More likely to experience early death from a number of causes. For example, the death rate related to pneumonia is seven times higher among divorced versus married men.

    · Four times more likely to commit suicide if they are white and male

    · More likely to experience early health problems (especially men)

    · Ten times more likely to utilize inpatient or outpatient psychiatric services if they are male, and five times more likely if they are female

    So what do all these less than cheery statistics tell us? Pay attention to your physical and mental health if you are involved in a marital separation or divorce. You may want to join a support group or see a counselor to help you manage stress. Know the dangers to your physical and emotional functioning so you can prevent yourself from becoming one of the statistics. It is possible to come through the divorce process with a clearer sense of self and deeper reliance on God.

    Divorce is a transitional crisis that needs to be managed. It interrupts your family life cycle and often throws family members into chaos and turmoil for a period of time, usually up to three years. Emotional upheaval comes and goes. The challenge is finding a way to reorganize a disrupted family system. Key issues emerge depending on the phase of family development at which the divorce occurs (married, no children, preschool children, high school children, empty nesters, etc.).

    Just because divorce is common, don’t downplay the tremendous stress involved. This is a time to pay attention to your physical body and take inventory on how well you are coping with the stress involved. Don’t be afraid to talk with others and get professional help.

    Statistics taken from Brian Willats’ Breaking up is easy to do, available from the Michigan Family Forum.