Looking to boost your career and your happiness? Finding effective ways to cope with stress at work might be one of the most important skills you can cultivate.
With a happier, more productive you in mind, here are nine tips for bringing your best self to work and getting the restoration and relaxation you need in your off hours.
How you begin your day often sets the tone for the rest of it — and walking into work frazzled because you’re feeling rushed and frustrated from your morning commute isn’t exactly starting off on the right foot. Make one or more of these changes and take note of the positive impacts:
Adjust your sleep routine. Wake up 15 minutes earlier — and leave the house 15 minutes earlier — if you’re perpetually stressed about beating the clock. Rather than reducing your overall sleep by 15 minutes, you could also start going to bed 15 minutes earlier.
Make time for nourishment. Take the time to eat breakfast at home or bring grab-and-go options. Don’t get slowed down by your smartphone. If you must check personal email or social media before work, build in time to do so and limit yourself to a fixed amount of time. Try setting a timer to keep you on track.
Stay calm during your commute. If you’re driving, give yourself ample time, find some tunes or a podcast that boosts your spirits, and don’t let traffic stress you out. If you take public transportation, bring along something that relaxes you or gets you in a positive mindset for the day.
Create a workplace-home boundary. If you’re working from home, find a way to make a distinct transition from your morning routine and breakfast to the workday. This can be something as simple as dressing as you would for the office, taking a few centering breaths after settling into your work chair, or — in a nod to those times when you may have worked outside the home — taking a few minutes to step outside and take in the scenery.
Even if you work long hours, short breaks can offer big health benefits. If you find yourself tethered to your computer for hours at a time, even eating at your desk, try setting an alarm to force yourself to get up at regular intervals.
Go on occasional head-clearing strolls, preferably outside.
Stretch and do some light exercise.
Refill your water bottle.
Meet a coworker in the break room for a snack and some chitchat.
Avoid too much caffeine and sugar to prevent energy crashes.
Live (and work) in the moment. Mindfulness is about being actively attentive to your situation and your mental and physical responses to it. In other words, not letting job stress control your life. A few intentional changes, such as mentally preparing for your day, running more mindful meetings and actively practicing stress management, can go a long way toward making the workplace experience less stressful.
Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air while stimulating your heart, lungs and muscles, according to the Mayo Clinic. It also increases the number of endorphins released by your brain. In addition, humor helps you build rapport with colleagues and can even diffuse tension.
True breaks are needed to fully recharge and recalibrate your approach to the job. Having your feet in the sand but your fingers scrolling through your Outlook calendar is not helping you manage work stress. Setting an out-of-office message while you are away from work can help you “let go” while on vacation. If an extended vacation isn't possible, plan long weekends or occasional days off to relax and recharge.
Conflict is natural, but unresolved tension can lead to stress. Address issues early to prevent stewing and maintain a team player image. Remember, the goal is to resolve the problem, not to win.
Don’t constantly bring work home, or, if working from home, don’t let work bleed into your home life, especially after you’ve finished working for the day. Strive to end your day when you leave the office or when you’ve reached the allotted number of hours for your workday. If you feel pressure from your employer to be available 24/7, be honest about how that impacts your stress levels, especially if you’re on the road to burnout.
If you’re working as hard as you can and still feel buried in projects, don’t suffer in silence. Managers can’t help you if they are not aware of the problem. Suggest solutions for managing your work stress, like offloading work or adjusting deadlines. See if your company offers any wellness resources or stress management courses. And remember, even if you do make a mistake at work, it’s not the end of the world.
Get the most out of your entire weekend so you can enter the workweek recharged and refocused. Before you leave work on Friday, straighten up your workspace and tend to any unanswered emails that threaten to nag you throughout the weekend. If you find your stress levels rising Sunday afternoon, make fun plans for that evening to take your mind off your job. Otherwise, you risk not only jeopardizing your personal time, but also waking up on Monday in a state of stress.
Stress at work is a career-long battle for many people, and it will inevitably ebb and flow throughout your life. For the sake of your health and happiness, it’s worth making the time and effort to keep work stress at bay.
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