Portable workplace adds to work-related stresses. (includes related article on symptoms of burnout)(Focus on Health Care)

Home computers, e-mail prompt more work worries at home

You can feel it starting up again.

You're at work, toiling away on your umpteenth deadline project of the week, and it happens: the tightness in your shoulders, the clenched teeth, the shortness of breath, and finally - a pounding headache.

You've got the classic signs of workplace stress.

According to local stress-management counselors, there's a bit more clenching of teeth going on in recent years - for a variety of reasons.

"I hear complaints from people coming in for counseling about how to handle the stress of doing more because of downsizing and hiring freezes," says Marsha White, a counselor with Providence Health System's Employee Assistance Program.

Not only are many executives and managers being expected to do more with less and perform the work of multiple employees, but the growing use of home computers, faxes and e-mail can make it difficult to draw boundaries between business and home, the experts say.

So, what's a harried Portland executive or manager to do when the inevitable workplace tensions start making life miserable?

First, a person must recognize when stress is becoming a problem.

"When stress starts to affect your body is when you start to sit up and take notice," says Barbara Robinette, a licensed professional counselor with Cape Employee Assistance Programs of Portland.

For many people, the first indication of a problem is a lack of energy and difficulty …