Microstressors—moments of stress that are so brief you might not even recognize them as stressors—seem manageable on their own, but their long-term effects can be debilitating. How can you intervene and stop these seemingly minor moments from accruing over time, sapping your long-term energy and damaging your overall well-being?

* Push back on microstress in concrete, practical ways.There are small but effective ways to put out the little fires that have an outsize impact in your daily life. These range from learning how to say no to small asks, to managing how technology notifies and interrupts you, to readjusting relationships that have a tendency to cause you momentary panic.

* Become more attuned to the microstress you put on others. This won’t just help your colleagues—it will help you, too. When we create microstress for others, it inevitably boomerangs in one form or another. (A simple example is when microstress causes you to snap at a colleague, which inevitably leads to anger or resentment that swings back to you.)

* Rise above it. One reason some microstressors affect us at work is simply that we allow them to. You can learn to keep some of them in perspective and brush them off. To do this, remember that your job isn’t everything. Building a more balanced life will necessarily reduce the importance and emotional urgency of what happens on the job.
This tip is adapted from “The Hidden Toll of Microstress,” by Rob Cross and Karen Dillon
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