Stress in the workplace can have far-reaching consequences. It makes you tire more quickly, and you are twice less productive than when you are relaxed. Moreover, stress strongly contributes to the decrease in work satisfaction. Your workspace can be a stressful environment, so is there anything that you could do to feel less tense when the overwhelming anxiety is coming back to haunt you since the moment of entering the office?
Stress can’t be entirely avoided as work is one of the main causes of it, and finding a low-stressing job with decent pay is next to impossible. However, you can mitigate it when a nerve-racking situation occurs. You should adopt strategies that can help you deal with this daunting feeling and kick out the habits that increase your stress level.
Create a Quiet Space
If you want to be less stressed, the environment you are working in shouldn’t be disrupting. We are constantly bombarded with impulses that disturb our concentration. It can be a ringing phone, Facebook notifications, or, if you work remotely, children running around your home office.
It would be best to eliminate the interruptions to feel less stressed at work and make your working environment a quiet place that would allow you to focus deeply on the task. Control the stressing factors and mute your phone when you are working. Tell your kids that you’ll be available when you finish. And when it’s impossible to eliminate distractions, you can disconnect from the world – check the headphone reviews and listen to noninvasive sounds such as lo-fi beats or nature sounds.
Good Organization
Do you recognize the feeling when you wake up in the morning, and the first thing you do is checking if you got any important e-mail or message? And then, while drinking coffee, you think about the endless list of phone calls you need to do and projects you need to finish? If the answer is yes, your stress might stem from disorganization and lack of prioritizing your tasks.
To-do lists make life easier. They help clarify which objectives are the most important and what can be postponed to a less busy day. Moreover, writing down your things to do is soothing as it empties your head. You no longer need to think excessively about all the duties and responsibilities and trying not to forget a single one as everything is just at hand. In the morning, try to set and clarify your goals for the upcoming day. Focus on the most important things that you need to do and set the deadlines.
Slow Mornings
The way you start off your day influences how you feel throughout the rest of your day. If you rush to the office already late, skip breakfast, and sip your coffee half-alive in the car, you are already stressed before you even arrive to work.
Try to change your morning routine and let your body and mind slowly wake up and prepare for the tough day in the office. Eat your breakfast at home, and drink your coffee in quiet and calm before you even start thinking about your responsibilities. Forget about checking your phone a second after you wake up – reading stressful news that pop up on your screen would do the reverse of calming you down. Unfortunately, to have a healthy morning routine, you need to wake up earlier and have time for all those little rituals. If you’re a sleepyhead, try going to bed earlier.
Learn How to Relax
The culture of being proactive and productive makes it impossible to relax for plenty of people. From a young age, we are taught to work hard, and after years, when the moment of sweet relaxation arrives, we just don’t know what to do.
You’re not a machine, and you deserve a moment of relaxation. Allow yourself to have a moment just for you when you feel overwhelmed and take the well-deserved breaks. Trying to deceive your organism and doing your best when you’re all overworked makes you even less productive and effective and definitely more stressed.
Take Deep Breaths
Taking deep breaths is one of the most effective techniques to minimize stress when a high-pressure situation occurs. Lean back, close your eyes for a few minutes, and breath with full awareness. It can help you organize your thoughts and makes your blood pressure lower.
Conclusion
Stress is a silent killer that not only empties your resources of confidence and concentration but also, in the long term, can contribute to severe health-related problems. If you recognize the stressors, try to get rid of them, and implement the habits that can help you deal with the stressful situation at work.
Sometimes, it’s impossible to calm your nerves and eliminate the daunting feeling. It’s an extreme case, but if you feel that your work environment is toxic and unhealthy, consider changing your job. Remember that your health and well-being are the most important.
