A new survey by the Catalina Island Visitors Bureau found 84 percent of working adults classify their jobs as "very stressful" or "somewhat stressful." In addition, two-thirds of those individuals said they feel stressed when thinking about work, even when they're not at the office.

This latest survey shows an increase from other national polls that have shown stress to be a growing problem among workers. ComPsych Corporation, for example, found in its May "StressPulse" survey that more than half of the responding employees (56 percent) said they are stressed by their workload and their increasing amount of responsibility. Furthermore, 29 percent of workers said job security is a source of their work-related stress, exacerbated by the economic slowdown.

"As business continues to slow and significant layoffs take place at companies of all sizes, many employers are making the most of a limited staff, and workers are expected to do more with less," said Dr. Richard Chaifetz, ComPsych CEO. "Workers are still seeing their peers let go, making them insecure about their own tenure. These factors are creating more stress on the average worker today."

Finally, 11 percent of workers cited financial issues as a stressor and 4 percent reported their career path as a source of workplace stress.

A later ComPsych poll released this month showed personal finances (36 percent) and pressing personal chores, such as picking up dry cleaning nor taking the car for an oil change (20 percent), led the list of reasons for stress at work.

Other causes of stress:

* household issues, 13 percent;

* dealing with child matters during work hours, 12 percent;

* social life as a primary distraction, 7 percent;

* eldercare issues, 6 percent; and

* legal concerns, 6 percent.

What's Working...

Companies that extend work-life benefits are the most successful in keeping employees focused on work, Chaifetz said.

The Catalina Island Visitors Bureau poll, meanwhile, found that visiting an island destination helps relieve stress; although just 32 percent of respondents said they felt "completely refreshed" when returning home from vacations in the past, 96 percent said visiting an island would help relieve their stress, according to the survey.

When asked if spending a day at the beach would help relieve stress, 92 percent said yes. Eighty-four percent said visiting a day spa would help them unwind, while 81 percent said enjoying a tropical drink would be relaxing. Other popular stress-relieving activities, the survey found, were: exercise, golfing, shopping, watching sports, sleeping, eating out, and spending time with family and friends.

"Working out at the gym" also was popular among respondents to a poll early this year by EventSource, a Web site for meeting planners. The survey looked at ways meeting planners at offsite meetings use to manage tension and stress while on the road.

However, this type of exercise was a distant second to meeting planners' favorite strategy: "playing hooky" from scheduled sessions. Tied for third place, the survey found, were treating oneself to a massage and having an extra cocktail at the end of the day.

What You Can Do...

To help keep stress under control in your own life, you can try some of these ideas from Mayo Clinic HealthQuest:

• Go to bed 30 minutes earlier at night.

• Read a good book.

• Seek out positive people and limit your activities with negative people.

• Meditate or pray.

• Delay or delegate an optional work project.

• Go to a humorous or uplifting movie.

• Write in a journal. Record the best things that happen to you.

• Tackle unpleasant tasks early in the day and get them over with.

• Eat properly and exercise regularly.

• Go with the flow. Not every battle has to be won — or even fought.

• Ask a co-worker, friend or partner for help when you feel overwhelmed.

• Deal with only one thing at a time.

• Do volunteer work.

If your stress level is spiraling out of control, you may be asking too much of yourself. Set attainable goals and be realistic about how much you can accomplish in a day.