Work can be stressful sometimes but staying on top of it, and keeping your cool, is vital to your productivity and health.
It isn’t a sugar-coated secret that work can be stressful. We all know it, and 92.4% of us admit to it. No matter how much you enjoy your job, you’re going to have deadlines, executive expectations, targets to hit and budgets to stay within.
The dangers of stress
Stress itself shouldn’t always be portrayed as the almighty villain it is. It’s a natural bodily reaction to the challenges that we face in life. It’s perfectly normal, and can even be the bodies go-to emotion to keeping you safe – stress can keep you alert and ready to avoid danger.
Stress becomes a problem when it continues for a prolonged period of time. Continuous challenges with little or no relief or relaxation can lead to a state called distress, which is a negative reaction to stress. Distress can lead to:
Headaches
Stomach aches
Higher blood pressure
Chest pains
Sleeping problems
Increased severity of any current symptoms or diseases
Stress is often worsened when people try to combat it with negative reliefs. Turning to alcohol, tobacco or drugs in an effort to combat stress can end up keeping you equally stressed, as well as inflicting the negative health effect of drinking or taking drugs on top of it.
How can you combat it?
The simple answer is that you’d be hard pushed to completely eliminate stress from your life, as it is a sometimes useful and natural bodily reaction to challenges, but in this post we’ll mention some ways you can learn to cut down on stress, and deal with it better in the workplace.
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Have some ‘me time’
This is perhaps the easiest way to combat stress. As mentioned above, it becomes a serious problem when you don’t take a break from the challenges you’re dealing with, especially since the UK workforce works some of the longest hours in Europe.
People often think that to eliminate their workload would be to eliminate stress. Whilst this may be true in the long-term, it isn’t healthy to stay stressed until you’re completely caught up just for 1 day of relaxation.
Step away from your desk for your lunch
Leave your work in the workplace
Take breaks from your computer
Don’t worry about things you’re not yet working on.
Did you know: The term “stress” derives from the Latin stringere (to draw tight)
Explore your stress triggers
Although it may seem incredibly ignorant to simply say ‘Avoid stress’ as a solution to combating stress, it can sometimes the best advice. Find out what actually makes you stressed and act upon that.
You may find when you look into it that your workload doesn’t make you stressed and that it’s your deadlines, or a lack of praise, or even the manner in which you are asked to do the work. Figuring out what it is that makes you stressed can greatly help you to talk to people about sorting it out, or taking yourself out of the situation.
Did you know: Stress can result in more headaches as a result of the body rerouting blood flow to other parts of the body
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Make stress your friend…
This 15 minute video offers a whole new approach to dealing with stress – your frame of mind!
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Exercise
Regular exercise can act as a strong stress reliever. Getting your heart-rate up is a very effective way to release tension in the body and clear the mind. Try to fit in around 30 minutes of exercise a day, but don’t force yourself to do it every single day, without fail.
The best stress-relieving exercise should be enjoyable and something you can already do. Competitive exercise may be good for getting fit, but pushing yourself to beat your fastest time or doing something you know you’re not too good at can add extra stress and frustration to your current levels.
Go for a walk around your local park
Go for a leisurely bike ride
Go swimming
Take up a fun class at a gym: Zumba, Yoga, martial arts.
Go and dance.
Did you know: The stress hormone cortisol not only causes abdominal fat to accumulate, but it also enlarges individual fat
Get your beauty sleep
It may seem counter-intuitive, after being told to exercise more, but getting plenty of sleep makes it much easier for your body to hold a stable emotional balance. Tired, restless, feelings can learn to a performance drop, inducing yet more stress.
Aim for a manageable 8 hours sleep a night to make sure you’re in the best mindset for work.
Did you know: The hyperarousal of the body’s stress response system can lead to chronic insomnia
Get a life
Try not to make your profession become your life. Spend quality time with your friends and family. Enjoy yourself, have a laugh and socialise. It will take your mind off anything you may be worried about and give you something to look forward to when the clock hits 5, or on a Friday.
Did you know: Laughing lowers stress hormones (like cortisol, epinephrine, and adrenaline) and strengthens the immune system by releasing health-enhancing hormones
Music
Music is a powerful emotional medium. In the same way that we naturally turn to sad music when we’re upset over something, it can work both ways. Making yourself listen to uplifting and energetic music can put you in a happy mindset.
Trust us – throw this on when you get home:
Did you know: Stress affects both the mind & body, and impacts overall health & well-being.
Eat healthily
Feeling healthier can have a positive effect on stress relief. Feeling bloated or unhealthy doesn’t help at all. Not only does preparing a healthy and varied meal take your mind off work, it can also break you out of a set routine you may be in of buying the same lunch every day. It jumps you out of a stressful and repetitive rut, with regards to your eating habits.
Drinking plenty of water can help relieve stress – A dehydrated body creates cortisol, which is a stress hormone.
Decrease your caffeine and alcohol intake. It can be linked with higher stress due to a substance dependency on them.
But…
Did you know: Eating moderate levels of dark chocolate reduces stress hormone levels
Do something different for 30 days.
This is quite a new trend that seems to be catching on fast with many people. The basics of it is to try something new for a mere 30 days. Easy, right?
The idea behind it is that it makes your days more memorable, more worthy and more interesting. It can take your mind off other pressures that you may be dealing with and offers something to look back and reflect on.
Some ideas could include:
Bike to work everyday for 30 days
Take a picture every day
Meet an old friend every day for 30 days
Talk to someone new in your office for 30 days
Try a new food every day for 30 days
10,000 steps a day for 30 days
Cut off social media for 30 days
Did you know: Each year 7 million workdays are lost through stress.
Office plants
Scattering a few plants around the office can help to decrease stress in the workplace, believe it or not. Plants are proven to Improve air quality, boost creativity, lower stress, enhance productivity and reduce drowsiness and illness. They also create a calming environment due to their ability to reduce noise pollution when placed correctly.
And, of course, they look good. If they look good – they’ll catch your eye and take your mind off things for a while.
Did you know: Plants can boost creativity
Social input
We asked some of our followers on Google+ to give us their feedback on what helps them combat stress in the workplace. Here’s what they said!
“Work less. Keep a strict 8 hour day!“
“– I find going for a quick 5-min walk every few hours or so helps – clears the head and helps you to relax.
– Snacking on fruit (as opposed to chocolate/crisps etc.)
– One of the worst things for me is being in a hot, sweaty and stuffy environment.“
“Organization. Reviewing emails twice to ensure accuracy & taking breaks every 2 hours.“
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