DESK RAGE: WORKERS GONE WILD
"Desk rage," which is defined as on-the-job anger, is increasingly rearing its nasty head in stress-filled offices and other workplaces across America. Some desk-ragers "go postal," screaming, cursing, trashing office equipment, even assaulting others. But desk rage also manifests as a slow boil that leads to gossiping at the water cooler, backstabbing, poor productivity, and abusing sick days.
"A lot of people are in workplaces where they are being emotionally abused and bullied and that can take a toll," says Professor Paul Spector of the University of South Florida. "It's becoming much more socially acceptable to be mean and nasty to others."
Reacting in the heat of the moment may only make matters worse, says psychologist John Weaver. So before you blow your top, he recommends trying these steps to cool off:
- Breathe. When we're angry, we tend to hold our breath. So take a few minutes and focus on breathing naturally. It will help calm you down.
- Put pen to paper. Jot down what is upsetting you and put the note on your to-do pile. This will give you time to calm down and think about constructive ways of dealing with it.
- Daydream. Take your mind off what's stressing you out by mentally shifting your focus to something that you enjoy.
- Don't always take your job so seriously. "Step back and realize that the stakes are not nearly so high as you might believe they are," says psychiatrist Dr. Kerry Sulkowicz.
Bottom line: it's important to deal with desk rage rather than endure it. "It's ultimately self-destructive," says Sulkowicz. "While others do and can get hurt, one of the things that is guaranteed is that the person experiencing the rage ends up losing." The potential damage: embarrassment, misery, guilt, even losing your job.
Source: Jacqueline Stenson, MSNBC