We’ve all been there… Felt the tension and the growing knot in our stomach, trying to keep up with an increasingly hectic work schedule… Waking up at 3 am wondering if we remembered to send that email… The long hours fighting the eternal to-do lists…
Everyone who has ever held a job has, at some point, felt the pressure of work-related stress. Any job can have stressful elements, even if you love what you do. In the short-term, you may experience pressure to meet a deadline or to fulfil a challenging obligation. But when work stress becomes chronic, it can be overwhelming — and harmful to both your physical and emotional health. You can't always avoid the tensions that occur on the job, but you can certainly take steps to manage work-related stress. Here are our top 7 tips to help you manage stress:
A lack of sleep is a significant cause of stress. Unfortunately, stress has a way of interrupting our sleep as thoughts keep whirling through our heads, stopping us from relaxing enough to fall asleep. Aim to maximise your relaxation before going to sleep. Make sure that your bedroom is nothing short of a tranquil oasis with no reminders of the things that cause you stress. Avoid caffeine during the evening and stop doing any mentally demanding work several hours before going to bed, so that you give your brain time to calm down. Try taking a warm bath or reading a calming, undemanding book for a few minutes to relax your body, tire your eyes and help you forget about the things that worry you. It’s also recommendable to go to bed at roughly the same time each day so that your mind and body get used to a predictable bedtime routine.
After scrambling to get the kids fed and off to school, dodging traffic and combating road rage and gulping down coffee, many people come in already stressed, and more reactive to stress at work. In fact, you may be surprised by how much more reactive to stress you are when you have a stressful morning. If you start off the day with good nutrition, proper planning, and a positive attitude, you may find the stress of the workplace rolling off your back more easily.
A factor that contributes to job burnout is unclear requirements. If you don’t know exactly what’s expected of you, or if the requirements keep changing, you may find yourself much more stressed than necessary. If you find yourself falling into the trap of never knowing if what you’re doing is enough, it may help to have a talk with your supervisor and go over expectations, and strategies for meeting them. This can relieve stress for both of you!
Even if you’re a naturally disorganized person, planning ahead to stay organized can greatly decrease stress at work. Being organized with your time means less rushing in the morning to avoid being late and rushing to get out at the end of the day. Keeping yourself organised means avoiding the negative effects of clutter and being more efficient with your work.
Multitasking was once celebrated as a fantastic way to maximize one’s time and get more done in a day. Then people started realising that when we had a phone in our ear and were making calculations at the same time, our speed and accuracy (not to mention sanity) suffered. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re multitasking, when really, you’re just shifting focus between tasks. There is a certain kind of frazzled feeling that comes from splitting one’s focus that doesn’t work well for most people.
Many people are suffering ill effects from leading an inactive lifestyle. One way you can combat that, and manage stress at work at the same time, is to get some ‘exercise’ during your lunch break and perhaps take short exercise breaks throughout the day. Need to have a short meeting -make it a “walking-meeting” or walk around while on your phone. This can help you blow off steam, lift your mood, and get into better shape.
Listening to music brings many benefits and can offer an effective way to relieve stress after work. Combating the stress of a long day at work with your favourite music on the drive home can make you less stressed when you get home, and more prepared to interact with the people in your life. Had an extra stressful day? Sing! Turn up that favourite tune and sing along at the top of your lungs -it relieves the stress, and it’s hard not to smile while performing.
