Workplace stress is inevitable. There are constant stressors about tasks, projects, and deadlines. Not to mention, a job that is a source of stress can have significant health consequences, ranging from relatively mild side effects to potentially dangerous health concerns, including heart disease.
While workplace stress is unavoidable, the good news is that there are several ways you can manage stress at your current job effectively.
This post looks at eight stress management tips that can help you deal with workplace stress.
1. Identify Your Stressors
Each individual is different, and they respond to stressors in different ways. While a particular situation may be exceptionally stressful for you, it may not be a stressor for your co-workers. Therefore, it is essential for you to identify what stresses you out for effective stress management.
One of the best ways to know your stressors is to experience every type of situation at work for a week or two. During this time, you need to record instances that stress you. These instances can include situations, people, and events that cause you to have a negative emotional, mental or physical response.
When recording these instances, make sure to include a brief description of each situation so you know exactly how you were involved in a particular situation and how you felt in it. Using this information, you can find out your stressors at work.
Remember, the people you meet at work can also be a stressor, so make sure you know them so you can manage your stress levels at work. Similarly, the long commute or the low lights at your workplace can also be considered persistent causes of stress, but since the causes of stress vary from person to person, you have to be in charge of figuring out the stressors around you.
2. Manage Your Stressors
Once you have identified your stressors, consider each situation mindfully and find out a way to resolve it. For instance, if you are lacking behind your tasks for the day and the fact is stressing you out because you also have to pick up your child from school, you need to get in control of the situation. You can manage the stressor by collaborating with a co-worker or a trusted parent from the community who can take charge of picking up your child while you can complete your work.
Similarly, you can also skip your lunch break or reduce it to compensate for the lost working time you spend picking up your child from the school.
Regardless of whichever approach to take, know that there is often more than one solution to all problems. However, you need to be mindful of the problem and potential solutions so you can figure out a way to modify the stress-causing circumstances.
3. Stay Organized
Are you naturally a disorganized person? Then, one of the most effective stress management tips for your workplace is to get organized. Planning ahead and staying organized can significantly reduce your stress at work.
Only when you are more organized during the day would it mean preparing for your mornings in advance, which will reduce your rushing in the morning. Moreover, if you are more organized at work, you will spend less time finding essentials at work, which would mean you are more efficient at your workplace.
4. Get Comfortable
One of the most common avoidable stress at the workplace is physical discomfort, which is often related to your immediate workplace setting, including your desk. Fortunately, there is a simple way to stay comfortable, and that is to invest in ergonomic office furniture.
You might not notice the stress that your body is experiencing when you are sitting in an uncomfortable chair for a short while. But if you are spending good eight hours every day in a chair that is not comfortable, you are likely to experience different types of aches and pain and other symptoms of physical distress that results in increased stress levels.
Given that there is an increasing awareness of the stress caused by physical discomfort, an increasing number of employers are now investing in ergonomic office furniture. The use of ergonomic office furniture at the workplace ensures that employees remain physically comfortable, which can contribute to better stress management. Perhaps, the most integral ergonomic piece of furniture that makes a whole lot of difference in your comfort level at work is an ergonomic office chair.
An ergonomic office chair is a chair that is designed keeping in mind the kind of support that the human body needs. It is designed with considerations, such as providing support to the spine or to improve posture. An ergonomic office chair is often adjustable and allows you to adjust the height and seat depth to provide your body with maximum comfort. Moreover, several ergonomic chairs come with other customized settings, so your body gets a greater fit that ensures your safety and comfort.
The use of an ergonomic office chair can bring several benefits, ranging from improved posture and relief in aches and pains, including backache and neck and shoulder pain. Some of the benefits of using an ergonomic office chair include;
Better posture support,
Ease of backache and neck and shoulder pain,
Reduced hip pressure, which ease discomfort while sitting,
Improved blood circulation and
Better focus and enhanced productivity at work.
Find out more about ergonomic office chairs and ergonomic office essentials here.
5. Enhance Your Time-Management Skills
While identifying and managing specific stressors is important, improving your time-management skills is also critical. It is particularly helpful if you feel pressurized or overwhelmed at work. You can manage your time more effectively by setting realistic goals at work, which often means setting realistic expectations and deadlines.
Moreover, you can also effectively manage your time by making a priority list of all the tasks that you need to accomplish and prioritizing them. Throughout the day, you can refer to your list and view the tasks that are prioritized but are left undone. Lastly, to enhance your time-management skills, you need to be assertive. Make sure you know when to do so no for all the tasks that you don't have time for.
6. Keep an Eye on Perfectionism
Are you career-oriented? Have you always been a high achiever? You might have always excelled at your work, but being a perfectionist can create many problems for you. Know that you won't be able to do everything perfectly every time, so always give yourself enough space to make mistakes and learn from them. Don't forget to congratulate yourself when you give your best shot but know that you deserve a pat on the back when things don't go as planned.
7. Take Care of Yourself
It is easy to lose track of your physical, mental, and emotional health in a fast-paced world. But if you really want to manage stress in the workplace, make sure you set aside time in your routine to take care of yourself. Include physical activity in your routine, eat a balanced and healthy diet, and get enough sleep. You can also try out relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga, and deep breathing to recharge yourself.
8. Know When to Seek Help
While the above-mentioned tips are effective stress management tips but if you feel they don’t seem to work, it is best to consult a mental healthcare practitioner. You can get in touch with a mental health counselor on your own or make use of your employer’s mental health assistance program to learn more about effective ways to workplace stress.
Final Words
Workplace stress may not be avoidable, but with these tips, you can manage your stress levels and live a healthy and happy life while working full-time.
