You exercise, you eat right, you get a good night's sleep, and you try to stay organized; you're doing everything you can to manage your own stress. But what if you work with someone who isn't managing stress well?

Regardless of where you might work, there are a lot of reasons for stress in today's workplace -- threats of layoff, increased workload due to reduced staffing, and so on. When you add in all the non-work-related causes of stress, it's no wonder some people aren't managing the pressure well. And, no matter how well you handle stress, when a co-worker is stressing you'll be affected by it.

So what can you do to help a stressed out co-worker? As long as you don't take on the reasons for their stress (e.g. taking their workload), it's a good thing to help out. And, if you happen to be the boss, it's imperative that you do so in order to maintain a positive workplace and to prevent productivity from slipping. Some ideas:

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Are you stressed out at work -- miserable everyday because you can't stand your boss? It's more than just sitcom fodder. Employees who work for tyrants are more likely to experience exhaustion, job tension, nervousness and depressed mood.

A recent study found that more than 30% of employees got the "silent treatment," weren't given credit when due, and had promises broken by their supervisor. More than 20% said their boss made negative comments about them to other employees or managers, while also blaming others to cover up mistakes and minimize embarrassment.

So what can you do if your boss sucks? Stay visible at work, making sure employers notice your strengths and talents. Also, try an optimistic approach -- even if your current supervisor is a jerk, you'll want the next one to know what you can do for the company. Lastly, if your boss is more than just a bad manager, and is actually abusive, don't stand for it -- look for help from your human resources department, or seek outside legal advice.

(Thanks to Boing Boing for the link)

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