Java Rumbling

Posted on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 12:00AM

In fact, your workplace happiness hinges more on whether or not you like your work than on whether or not your work is stressful, according to Alan Krueger, an economist at Princeton University.

Where the Stress Falls

That said, declaring that you thrive under stress is a delusional justification for procrastination. Sure, there are people who can't figure out how to deliver on anything until the last minute. But that's a crisis in confidence (a fear of starting for fear of failing), not stunning brilliance unlocked by stress.

And let's clear something up about bringing pets to work: Employees love having dogs at the office, but there's no evidence that dogs decrease stress at work. There's only evidence that dogs lead people to work longer hours. So maybe life would be less stressful for dog lovers if they left their pets at home, worked fewer hours, and got a social life.

Anyway, here's why decreasing stress matters to me: People who are less stressed exude more confidence than people who are more stressed. I know I do everything in my life better when I'm feeling more self-confident, and I'll bet you do, too.

Stretch Yourself

So, in an effort to boost self-confidence, here's my list of things that will decrease stress at work:

1. Do yoga. In the bathroom.

Of course, doing yoga anywhere is a good idea. But during the workday, tension builds up every hour, and you can't do real yoga in your cube without calling attention to yourself for being eccentric.

So go in the bathroom and do some downward-facing dogs. A few in the middle of the day can relax your body, clear your mind, and keep your productivity and creativity at higher levels. (Worried about putting your hands on the bathroom floor? I've been doing it for years and haven't gotten any diseases. That's what the soap is for.)

Make Pals, but Not on Your Lunch Break

2. Make a friend.

If you have a friend you can depend on at work, you'll have less stress and more happiness on the job. If you have trouble making friends, try putting a plant and some candy on your desk.

And please refrain from commenting on how "young people today text-message too much to know how to have real relationships." It's the baby boomers who spawned whole industries devoted to making friends, controlling ego, and making conversation. Generation Y is naturally great at doing that stuff.

3. Fill your downtime carefully.

Running errands during lunch increases stress because you worry about getting back to work on time, according to Dorothy James, a professor at Texas A&M University.

Your Body, Your Self

4. Get ergonomic.

If your body is a pretzel while you're in front of your computer, your mind starts pretzeling in order to cope with the physical pain. But there are ways to alleviate this stress.

If you don't have your own personal ergonomics guru, one easy thing to do is make sure you use a mouse instead of a touchpad whenever you can. More difficult is learning to use one of those keyboards that look like they'll break your wrists while promising to preserve them.

5. Monitor yourself.

Like everything else you might want to change about your life, the more closely you monitor stress, the more you're likely you are to change it. So you can gauge how stressed you are by taking this test.

To be honest, though, I didn't take it myself. Most of the problem behaviors -- like "Do you set unrealistic deadlines for yourself?" and "Do you find yourself overeating?" -- were actually instrumental in getting this column written