Getting tasks accomplished throughout the workday can be hard enough, but when we feel stressed, even the smallest chores can feel like Herculean crusades.
Unfortunately, stress comes with working a full-time job, so there’s really no avoiding it. However, there are a few steps you can take to effectively manage workplace stress. Generally speaking, these steps include maintaining a few healthy habits and adopting a bit of organization.
Get Enough Sleep
Not getting enough sleep can make you irritable and being irritable can make something you would normally brush off into a stressful situation. To make matters worse, that stressful situation can then cause you to lie awake at night. Stop this vicious cycle by making sure you get enough sleep at night.
If you’re currently caught up in that cycle of stress and insomnia, the best solution is tiring yourself out through exercise. Barring that, as a last resort, try an over-the-counter sleep aid or talk to your doctor about a safe and effective sleep solution.
Be Proactive and Prioritize
According to business psychologist Sharon Melnick, people experience more stress when they are reacting to an unexpected situation, rather than handling an expected chore. Melnick recently told Forbes that the best way to avoid an unexpected situation is to take a proactive approach to your job. Start by identifying the things you can control and prepare for any adverse events that might take place.
Then, let go of trying to manage circumstances or events that are out of your control, Melnick suggested.
Schedule Mental Breaks
Studies have shown that the typical person can only maintain their focus for a couple hours at the very most. Instead of trying to work your brain into submission, acknowledge your mental limits and take a short break at least every 90 minutes or so. These small breaks can rejuvenate the mind and keep overall personal productivity up where it needs to be.
It’s Not Always About You
Some workplace stress is entirely generated in our own heads, and simply acknowledging that can be a powerful way to reduce mental strain. When a stressful situation arises, trying taking a step back for a more objective view. You may have inadvertently taken a situation personally that actually had nothing to do with you. Try talking to a manager or trusted co-worker about a particularly stressful situation to see if your stress level is much higher than it should be.
Have a Stress Outlet
Make sure to leave your stress at work, and have some kind of healthy outlet for activities you enjoy. Simply spending time with friends and family can make you realize there’s a world outside the office that is more important than the day-to-day stresses of the job. Running, biking or recreational team sports not only help to relieve job stress, but the physical exercise can also help you fall asleep at night and maintain your fitness level.
We may be focused on providing employment solutions for both our clients and job candidates at CAREERXCHANGE, but that doesn’t mean that we’ve lost sight of what really matters in life. If you’re feeling overly stressed in your current job, consider talking to us about what other opportunities might be out there. A change of scenery is often the best stress relief of all.