I recently spoke with two professionals who had something dangerously in common: a heart attack last fall, which doctors said was caused by stress in the workplace.

Most people assume that workplace stress is only found in a job they don’t like, but this is not true, as these two people demonstrate. One said he hated his job because it was so stressful, and the other client said he loved his job despite its demands.

So what causes all this stress? The American Institute of Stress tells us that 6% of professionals feel stress due to lack of safety at work, 20% represent stress when trying to juggle work and personal life, 28% of people refers to stress in relation to co-worker / people problems, and 46% of stress is in workload.

Let me take some time to tell you that, to some extent, stress can help us accomplish more than we would if there weren’t some kind of pressure to get things done. But finding the balance is the tricky thing. The big question is this: What can you do to handle all this stress before it puts you in danger?

The first line of action is to identify what is within your circle of control. I talk about this in my book RINGMASTER: 8 Strategies To Become A Star Actor In The Midst Of Change. What is in your power to change? Start by making a list of where your stress is coming from. Put your stressors into categories and ask yourself what can influence or change.

The point is to start recording where you spend your time and how that adds stress to your life. Then ask, is there a way to share these duties? Can you delegate some of this work to others? If you are stressed around people’s problems, then maybe invest in outside help from a career management coach (as a coach, I can say they help you overcome career obstacles and opportunities so that you can reduce stress at the Workplace).

Also find ways to RELIEVE that stress and take time away from it! I have a client who schedules a massage every two weeks just to relieve some of the stress on her shoulders. In order for her to stay on top of her game, she takes the time to do some well-deserved pampering. Sure, it doesn’t eliminate stress completely, but massage allows you to deal with the physical and mental stress you face in the workplace. The same can be said for exercising, playing ball with your children, going for a walk, doing yoga, etc.

It all comes down to this: it’s unhealthy to let stress make you feel trapped and helpless. Find ways to empower yourself. Do things to reduce stress. Then take a proactive approach to making things better, because stress won’t get better on its own. Sometimes your job is to take care of yourself, because being a victim of stress can be deadly!