By Jon Castelhano, CIO Advisor
Refresh
Let me preface the use of "F5" up front by saying that I am using the term in a PC kind of way. Like when you lose network connection on your PC and hit F5 to restore your desktop icons, or when your browser doesn't refresh and you hit F5 to reload the page. With that being said, I am sure that we have all hit the F5 button before at some point, and it actually is refreshing when it does its thing.
IT Stress
Stress in the IT field has been studied for some time and there is no doubt that as technology becomes more infused in our classrooms, the need to keep things up and running increases. Throw in 1:1 programs, multiple types of devices and the need for a robust network to handle the ever-growing amount of Internet traffic and you have an IT staff that is always on the go. It is the exciting and ever-changing landscape that makes being in IT so much fun, but sometimes it is hard to shut down at the end of the day.
Stress Management
A quick search will return hundreds of ideas and even a few really strange techniques to reduce stress. Although I would pass on the extreme techniques of reducing stress, I did find a post titled "Stress Management Tips for IT Professionals." It is a few years old and the stress-management tips could probably apply to any profession, but felt it was worth including the 8 tips to help reduce stress. To read the full description of each tip, visit the full article here.
1. Change perspective
2. Breathe
3. Meditate
4. Get a life
5. Manage your time
6. Talk it out
7. Reduce uncertainty
8. Take control
Burn Out
I have always kind of thought the old rock star saying, it is better to burn out than fade away, made sense, but I don't think burning out at work is what they were talking about. With the amount of data coming at us and the need for 100% up time, the IT profession can definitely burn a person out in a short amount of time. Remember that staying on top of your game means staying healthy and there is nothing wrong with hitting that F5 button!
Jon Castelhano is director of technology for Apache Junction USD in Arizona. This blog is cross posted on his blog, This and That.
