Work stress can generate in a person when the pressures of the workplace become overwhelming and do not sync with your basic knowledge, practiced skills, or the value of expectations. Branches of psychology have emerged from the different forms of work stress and how workplace stress management can successfully be achieved. Undoubtedly, dealing with stress at work can be detrimental to your health. However, in some cases it can be helpful to have a moderate level of pressure. So, experts have drawn a fine line between the levels of stress at work that’s good and bad for a person: healthy stress is eustress unhealthy stress is distress.
Eustress pushes your limits to successfully meet your deadline without negatively damaging your mood. On the other hand, distress occurs when a certain amount of eustress builds up over time, coming to a point where your mind can’t find a proactive way to get rid of all the pressure. This article will give you great ideas on how to deal with stress at work and hopefully equip you to face stressful situations head-on in future!
Strategies for Managing Stress in the Workplace
Countless methods have emerged on managing stress at work, with their success being completely relative. Nobody can permanently get rid of stress, but some widely exercised practices can help you with dealing with stress at work. We have listed below our most popular recommendations to help with workplace stress management!
Build-up an Exercise Routine
A certain amount of exercise every day can work as an antidepressant, help keep your mind clear and healthy, and make you more focused on the task at hand. A sound body helps achieve a sound mind, and that’s the most important thing when you want to lower stress. Below are some tips for reducing stress at work with the right type of exercise!
- Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise every day.
- Challenge your co-workers on regular exercise routines. A little competition can surely get you going! Even take work calls or have brisk meetings while walking to make the best use of your time.
- Get a height-adjustable standing desk to remove the need of sitting all day. Switching between standing and sitting while you work can be a very good exercise too!
Form a Good Relationship with Co-workers
Talking with friends and sharing problems can help release stress more than the majority of methods. But turning co-workers into friends is not an easy task and it can take some time before you feel comfortable sharing your stresses with them. Here are some hacks to form better relationships in stressful work environments!
- Make a point to try and talk to people more regularly – make the effort to learn more about them without impeding their work! This will free your mind from stress and you’ll get to know some new faces along with some new life stories.
- Establish a weekly meeting of co-workers, dividing everyone into small groups of 4 or 5 people. Encourage everyone to share their stories in these meetings and take a minute out from the day-to-day tasks.
Establish a Healthy Eating Habit
The right types of food are very important to get a sound mind. You need a healthy, consistent eating plan to compliment your exercise routine, keeping your mind and body clear to cope with stress at work:
- Increase the number of fruits and vegetables you eat every day. Remember, an apple a day keeps the doctor away!
- Eat antioxidant food like dark chocolate, Kale, and blueberries to boost your mood.
- Try and avoid regular consumption of fat-induced and high-sugar food items.
- Avoid nicotine and keep within the recommended alcohol guidelines.
- Have a treat every now and again – don’t restrict yourself too much and become miserable!
Get the Sleep You Need
Lack of sleep or insomnia will affect your day to day activities and increase stress easily over the most remedial things. Not getting enough sleep can increase work stress exponentially. That happens because the less you sleep, the less your mind can perform in times of stress. Here are some tips for relieving stress at work through getting the right amount of sleep:
- Aim for 8 hours of sleep every night. If you want a healthy body and mind, you need to sleep at the minimum, 6 hours every day.
- Set a sleeping schedule suitable for your routine and try to maintain it. You can take power naps to boost your energy if you’re busy throughout the day, but if you stick to your schedule you shouldn’t need extra naps.
- Don’t sleep too much on your days off! It will result in breaking your sleeping schedule for the rest of the week. At the same time, try not to stay up too late on these days either.
Final Thoughts
Stress relief at the workplace has always been a difficult task, but it’s not impossible. Just follow the strategies stated above and always try to maintain a positive attitude! We hope you now know how to reduce stress at work. If you find that the above suggestions (alongside any other method you may be trying) do not work, perhaps it’s time to relook at your workload and environment and realize the changes need to be made there instead. Good luck!
