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Being an enlisted soldier tops the list of the "10 Most Stressful Jobs of 2012", followed by firefighters and airline pilots, according to Careercast.com. It's a surprise that for those working in the call center industry and in lead generation companies, a customer service position is not included on that list.

The fact remains that work-related stress has long been the doom of workers and employers worldwide. Stress has been related to studies to everything from illness to lower productivity and increased absenteeism. Given the present economic climate, the sad reality is that several people are working harder than before for less income, and still they wonder while half-hoping if they would still have a paying job at the end of the day. And along with this, now comes new technological innovations which enable us to easily work anywhere and anytime-then you've got the perfect recipe for job-related stress. The fact still remains that regardless of the economic situation and what your job is, it's inevitable that we'll always undergo some kind of stress at work.

Thus, don't wait for the economy or for your job circumstances to change; but manage your stress before it controls you.

Did you know that not all stress is bad? Most of us, when we mention the word "stress", we see it as something negative right away. However, did you know that there's also a good stress? As a matter of fact, there's a term for good stress: "eustress". Eustress is that thing which keeps you moving, enables you to get revved up to work or clean the house. This kind of stress gives us with stimulation and motivation to make us grow and develop.

What we generally connect with the word stress, is in theory, distress. Now, this is the type of stress which makes us restless, drained, tired, ill-tempered etc. Distress is a response to some type of "external or internal self-imposed pressure", which brings out adverse psychological and physical changes.

Some signs of distress include: loss of sleep or difficulty sleeping, fatigue, digestive troubles, muscle aches, unable to concentrate, withdrawal from family and friends

As a manager, what can you do to minimize stress in the call center?

1. Make sure that the policies of your organization are fair enough, appropriate to all and most especially, consistently implemented.
• Ensure that your staff know the essence of their responsibilities and how they contribute to the whole organization.

2. Reward teams and individuals for a good job.
• Praise good and efficient performance sincerely.

3. Engage your staff and enhance communication.
• Make sure that an employee's job fits his skills and experiences.
• Talk with your workers regarding work rules and scheduling.
• Share information with your staff so that you could also help them in decreasing uncertainty regarding their jobs.

More quick tips for managing distress.

• Never try to be perfect. Don't be scared of failure, but always think that you achieved something now.
• Just focus on a single task at a time to avoid burnout.
• Take time to eat, listen to the music or any activity to have a break from your current work.
• And stop worrying too much! Take note that "today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday."