7+1 ways to cope with stress at work
Feeling some stress at work is not always a bad thing. “Good” stress can help you be focused, active and able to manage everyday challenges. It’s what will strengthen you during a presentation, or give you readiness to avoid mistakes in the workplace.
Feeling some tension is normal, especially if you’re facing a looming deadline or a challenging assignment. However, when work stress becomes persistent and chronic, it can end up affecting both your physical and emotional well-being. It causes damage to your body and spirit, but it also reduces your productivity and the satisfaction you receive from your work.
Here are some tips that can help you reduce stress and get the sense of control back into your work (and life).
Create positive relationships at work
A simple but yet effective way to reduce your stress is to share your thoughts and feelings with another person. A good colleague probably won’t fix your problems, but he or she can help a lot just by listening to you. You may still not have your best friend at work, but surely you can be more extrovert with your colleagues and create pοsitive relationships.
Prioritize and organize your daily tasks
Set priorities and manage your workload. When you clearly prioritize your work, you can increase your productivity, better manage your time, and feel confident that you’ll hit your deadlines, feeling thus less stressed at the end of the day.
Stop being a perfectionist
Being a high achiever might make you feel good about yourself, but being a perfectionist can create problems – both for you and those around you. You might not be able to do everything perfectly all the time – especially in a busy, fast-paced job. In order to avoid the perfectionism trap, try striving to just do your best and making time to congratulate yourself on your efforts.
Get up from your desk and walk
Regular exercise is a dynamic stress-reducing factor. Many researches point out the importance of incorporating some low-level activity, like just standing up or taking a walk, into the workday. Not only does that allow you to fight restlessness and anxiety, but it also increases productivity.
Improve your eating habits
Eating habits can have a big impact on how you feel during the day. Small and frequent healthy meals help maintain stable blood pressure and keep energy levels high, avoiding mood swings.
Have a good night’s sleep
Too much stress can cause you to have a bad sleep, leading to mental and physical health issues which can, in turn, cause stress in daily life, leading to poor sleep at night. It’s a vicious circle. Take charge of your wellness and look into how stress might be affecting your sleep and how lack of sleep is affecting your stress levels.
Use your breath to relax your body
When we’re in a panicked or stressed state, we usually overbreathe. The next time you will feel stressed at work, try focusing on your exhale, instead of your inhale. In order to manage your anxiety symptoms, rather than taking a deep breath, focus on extending the exhale. It helps a lot!
Think positive
At the end of the day, try to be optimistic and think about the positive things that you get from your work. Use your humor to cope with difficult situations; it can be a great mechanism for dealing with stress. However, do not forget or underestimate your own strengths and limits.
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