What would you do when stress at work strikes? Workplace stress is one of the most common forms of stress.
Those who spend more time with their works tend to suffer from stress more than the others.
The mental and emotional burden that is often attributed to the demands of work can affect your productivity and efficiency with your task that would often lead to trouble than not.
This is one reason why it is very important for workaholics to undertake stress management to avoid compromising their career.
You don’t have to be in a special place to apply stress management. In fact, you can do it anytime and anywhere if you feel like it.
You can do it while at your work desk, in the comfort room, or even out in the lobby.
The idea here is to control your mind to relax so that you can continue fresh with your task — emotionally, physically, and mentally.
In today’s times, it is very difficult not to carry some work back home. People are usually inundated with work, and that causes a great deal of stress to them.
Did you know that 7 in 10 people who have jobs claim that their work is causing them stress?
This may be your situation as well. Maybe your job is what is giving you something more than just your livelihood… it is also giving you the stress to live with. If this is happening, you are not alone.
But at the same time, there are things you can do in order to combat workplace stress. All of these things are quite doable. It is all in planning the right way and avoiding the negatives.
In order to cope with your workplace stress, you need to first accept that your job is the cause of your stress.
It is only when you come out of your denial can you overcome this form of stress. Something that is true for every kind of stress that you might face.
Tips on Dealing with Stress at the Workplace
1. Take only as much work as you can do
For a lot of people, the stress is because they take up a lot of work, work that they cannot do.
Promotions and incentives notwithstanding, the one thing that is very important to you is your health. You should know what your limit is, and then you should work within that limit.
This is a very important point. If you just give your nod to work that you can realistically do, then you will be much happier about your job.
2. Accept work with realistic and practicable deadlines only
Many people accept work with difficult deadlines just because of the lure of money or because of the fear of losing a client.
But, if you are good at your work, you can always ask for more time to do your work. No work needs to be unrealistically chased.
At least, not at the cost of your health. When you take up work that you can easily do, then you are not only preventing stress from sapping your innards, but you are also able to provide better quality work to your clients.
3. Learn to say no
Most people cannot do that. Workplace stress actually stems from the fact that people don’t know how to say no. When you cannot refuse, you end up taking things you cannot do.
You take more work than you can handle, you accept unrealistic deadlines, you agree to help out your friends with things that they are supposed to do, you agree to do tasks for the company which you need not (such as organizing parties) and so on.
There is no harm in doing all of this if you are capable of doing it. But, most people do not have that kind of powerhouse capacity.
If you have to take up a lot of work and eventually it is going to cause you an immense deal of stress, then it is certainly not worth creating that impression of the ‘guy or gal who can do it all’.
4. Manage your time
This is one of the most important things that anyone should learn, whether they have a job or not. When you are in a job, this becomes all the more important.
When you learn how to manage your time, then you are able to fulfill your tasks in a much better way, with enough time left over for fun and recreation as well.
5. You have to absolutely learn how to prioritize things
This is extremely important. When you are able to fulfill tasks according to their order of importance, then you find the situation much easier to handle.
One way of prioritizing things is by deciding which of your tasks can help the faster accomplishment of another task.
If there is a particular task that should be done earlier so that the next task becomes easier, then follow that logical order.
6. Learn about new technologies all the time
You will be amazed to see the kind of progress that technology is making right now. This is the world of automation. There is a simple software solution for almost anything. Keep updated.
There are chances that you could use some new technological solution to make your job easier. At the same time, when you are better informed, you simply know how to get your job done faster.
7. Trust in your team
So many people build up a great deal of workplace stress just because they do not believe in the people around them. Give them their due importance.
Know that these people have also been employed by the same organization that has employed you, so you need to have at least some amount of faith in their judgment.
If there is some task that someone else should do, let them do it. Do not insist on taking it up just because you feel you can do a better job. The whole thing could actually backfire.
You may not be able to finish that and your work would be left in limbo as well.
8. Keep time for your family and friends
Never immerse yourself in your work. Always remember that you are working for your family and yourself.
Hence, give them due importance. Refrain from working on holidays and the weekends. Spend time with the family. Go out with your friends whenever you can.
All these things really matter because they take your mind off work. When you revisit your work after such brief sojourns, you find that you can attack it with renewed vigor.
9. Live a healthy lifestyle
Take care of your health. Go for a jog early morning, or at least get a treadmill. Leave only after having a healthy breakfast.
Learning a good meditation technique such as Yoga is also not a bad idea. Do not drink and smoke just because you are stressed at work. These can only give you a temporary boost.
When their effect wears off, you will be feeling more despondent than ever. Avoid calorie-rich junk foods and pile up on those veggies instead.
Have fresh fruit juice instead of coffee at work. Sip water throughout the day; it helps keep your metabolism in a good working condition.
10. Celebrate when you should, and don’t just celebrate with your people at work
If you have achieved some kind of victory at work, treat your family and friends.
This gives you a sense of self-satisfaction. When you see your near and dear ones sharing in your victory, you feel that your achievement is not in vain.
This also acts as a great motivating factor and you are able to tackle your next job with better enthusiasm.
11. One Small Step at a Time
It is impossible to remove all your stress with just one flick of a wrist. And you can safely say that your mind is not equipped or prepared to handle the effort of getting rid of your problems in one go.
If you are planning to apply stress management in your career then you need to keep in mind to take it slow.
Don’t rush the process of self-improvement if you want to benefit from it. Start first by determining the source of your stress and note them down so you can take care of it one-by-one.
Instead of ranting and raving on your fellow workmates due to your problems, you might want to take a short break from your task and take some time off to relax a little bit.
Get some fresh air or make yourself some coffee to help you calm down.
12. Learn to Relax your Mind
Relaxation is a very useful stress management technique. Having a clear and focused mind can help in dealing with problems even before they blow up on your faces.
You can relax by doing light meditation, breathing exercise, or simply get out for a breath of fresh air. Try to stop thinking about the cause for a few minutes to clear your head.
Keep in mind that there are different ways to help you relax. You can do yoga or a deep meditation exercise during your break.
If you don’t know where to start, then you can buy self-help books that detail the steps to help you get started.
If you have a ready access to the Internet, feel free to look for relaxation tips online and apply it at your leisure.
13. Indulge in After-Work Pampering
If you have some free time off from work then you might want to take advantage of this by pampering yourself at the local spa.
You don’t have to undergo a complete full-body pampering treatment just to help you relax.
A simple massage or aromatherapy session will do. Keep in mind that a massage can be a relaxation technique for both the mind and the body.
So, having one during your free time will help you relax enough to face the burden of work with a fresh mind.
14. Go to the Gym
If you want to channel all your stress to something productive and release it in one go then you might want to try coping with it at the local gym.
Stress affects you physically, mentally, and emotionally. So, it would only be best to address these three aspects in one sitting.
Going to the gym to help cope with your stress is a good idea. The instructor will help you divert your mind from your problems to the program he or she has in store for you.
You will need to focus all your mind and effort to completing the workout routine. This way, you won’t have time to think about your problems at home or office. Just focus on getting your body in shape for a better you.
Another benefit of going to the gym is to strengthen your heart from the effects of stress. Heart attack and stroke are health conditions commonly attributed to stress.
By going into a cardiovascular workout, you are strengthening your anatomy for the future — this time, you will be physically equipped to deal with it.
15. Let your Mind Have some Fun
Since stress is centered on your mind, then it would only be reasonable to divert it into something more productive and fun. Try to delve into games that require your mind to think.
Chess is a great way to stop thinking about the problem and focus more on how to beat your partner.
You can also try playing word or number games that will put your logical mind at work, like scrabble, Sudoku, word puzzles, crosswords, and the like.
This will help divert your mind from stress to help you achieve a sense of relaxation.
Make this a daily habit!
Integrate your stress management techniques with your daily lifestyle if you want to be good at it for your self-improvement project.
Doing it just because you got stressed with work is not a good way to practice stress management.
You need to keep practicing your chosen method or technique until you can do it straightaway.
Learn to relax every time when you’re at work and you will surely see that no amount of bickering with your boss or noise from your workmates will stress you out.
Keep these points in mind. Workplace stress is sapping everyone’s mind at the moment, but you need to keep this demon away.
Like with every other kind of stress, learn how to use the influence of stressors on your mind to bring about creative solutions. Do that, and workplace stress will become history for you!
