The Stress of Writing About Stress

Now it can be told. Back in January when I wrote "Six Lessons for Handling Stress" (TIME issue dated Jan. 29, 2007), I was under a tremendous amount of pressure myself. I knew layoffs were coming and I was seriously considering leaving the magazine to pursue other projects.

So I actually used the tips I was researching to try to keep myself sane. I can tell you that the three I found most helpful were daily exercise, deep breathing and regular get-togethers with my friends from church--both inside and outside of Sunday morning services.

(If you read the article online, you get just a part of the story. The tips on how to relax were published in the print magazine only--don't ask me why.)

I didn't achieve Nirvana or anything and I was still pretty stressed out--as was most of the staff. But I do think I came through it better than I would have otherwise.

One thing I wasn't able to write about in the article as much as I would have liked to have: new research that suggests that employers also have a responsibility to try to reduce stress in the work environment.

Christina Maslach, a pioneer in burnout research at the University of California, Berkeley, told me that she thinks of stress reduction as the new ergonomics of the workplace--that it is possible to design jobs and work environments that are less stressful.

In other words, Maslach says, too much of the emphasis in stress reduction has been placed on employees (what they can do to deal with stress) and not enough on employers (what they can do to keep additional stress out of the system).

There's no such thing as a stress-free job. But there is a lot of stress that's unnecessary. Smart companies and employers will figure out ways to keep that extra stress to a minimum.

So what did I finally end up doing? I decided to take a buyout in order to pursue new projects. Will keep you posted as they develop.