Is your job keeping you from enjoying a restful sleep?

It is not surprising that job stress is rising after having experienced work-related change over the last couple of years. Working takes up about a third of your time when you are awake and when you combine that with a lack of sleep due to career-related issues, it can take a toll on your well-being.

Establishing a good balance between work and personal life is a goal worth pursuing. When your job-related worries start crossing the line and interfering with getting a restful night’s sleep to recharge your energy for the next day, it is a sign that is hard to overlook.

It is easy to recognize anxiety if you have trouble letting go of work, tossing and turning at night with stressful thoughts being replayed repeatedly in your mind. In some cases, apparent stress can be your best friend, warning you to take care of it. However, it is the unexpected stress that ruins careers and creates unhappiness. Coping with stress at work (apa.org)

So many professionals have become accustomed to accepting stress as a part of their careers that they may not feel any different physically. Last week, a manager described how they dreaded Monday mornings and how their job started affecting some relationships. It seems that every Monday, they wake up with apprehension about going to work and facing another week of dealing with problems. The dread made them irritable before the day started, and the lack of restful sleep added to their frustration.

Starting your week being tired and irritable is not a good way to start your week or, for that matter, living your life dreading Monday mornings. Life is too short for a job to influence your physical and emotional health, yet that story is, unfortunately, a common complaint among those dealing with job stress.

When your thoughts at night are replaying the day’s events, it can be your way of trying to solve a solution or handle anxiety. At some point in everyone’s career, they will encounter stressful events. The more responsibility you have with your job role, the more likely you will experience work stress. But the key is managing it and preventing it from interfering with a good night’s rest.

A recent survey of nearly 2,000 respondents conducted by Korn Ferry concluded that 66% of employees experienced a loss of sleep due to work stress. Their report says that among the top reasons for increased stress over time are the threats of losing a job to technology and the pressure to learn new skills to stay employed. Message from Korn Ferry

A change in leadership and a new boss all add to the impact of work-related stress. Even though how you work has changed, it is new.

While you may not control the company’s direction, decisions on leadership, or the new trends in the marketplace, you can control how you react to them. Learning to manage and recognize stress is part of your career growth.

Here are some strategies to start implementing when you feel stressed, especially when job-related worries begin to affect your sleep:

• Keep a journal. Writing down your thoughts about a stressful workday gets them out of your head and onto paper. The connection between writing down what is bothering you at work helps you identify what could be causing the stress. Benefits of writing for depression, anxiety, and stress| Calmer (thisiscalmer.com) One suggestion is to not only focus on the stressors you encounter but to list the things you are grateful for at work. Exhausted All the Time? Surprising

Science Suggests the Answer Might Be More Gratitude| Inc.com

• Exercise. Walking away from stress has long been a habit for those who are mentally tired rather than physically tired. Working at a desk job all day can be exhausting mentally, and exercising is a great way to help clear your mind.

Make it a priority to eat more nutritious foods that combat free radicals and boost your immune system. Some people cope with stress by overeating or turning to foods that lead to feeling tired such as eating sweets. Nutrition and Stress: A Two-way Street

• Focus on eating healthier.

• Find a mentor. Mentors can help when talking with them. Someone who understands your workplace and the stressors can give you a different perspective. They can share their coping skills in handling stress, which is a model to implement in your life.

• Meditate. Before bed, take a few minutes to wind down your thoughts by focusing on your breathing and calm scenarios. There are numerous apps that can help guide you through meditation. Calm - The #1 App for Meditation and Sleep

• Replace stressful thoughts with mindfulness.

Stress is often a preventive mechanism that keeps you in a state of survival. When communication is lacking at work, or you are having conflict with your boss, it is human nature to fill in the communication gaps with the “what if’s.” Trying to guess what will happen next at work or the increased workload that you may feel impossible to continue — keeps your brain in a state of alertness. It is difficult to rest if your mind senses a four-alarm fire going off in your thoughts.

• Skip the caffeine and opt for non-caffeinated drinks.

The last thing you need is a stimulant to keep you alert and wide awake.

• Keep up a sleep routine.

Changing your sleep routine can interfere with much-needed rest, such as sleeping late on the weekends. It is helpful to keep the same pattern throughout the week. Try this exercise to find out how much sleep you are getting — for four nights, keep a sleep diary, noting the time you went to sleep and when you woke up. Knowing how much sleep you are getting and how it leads to fatigue throughout the day could be helpful.

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Kimberly Thompson, M.Ed., is a national b oard-certified counselor and career coach. Send your questions to kim@careerrescue. com or visit her blog at HoustonChronicle. com/careers.