5 Ways to Deal with Stress at Work

Stress at work is very common. Learning how to manage work-related stress can be very helpful and reduce the risk of developing mental health problems such as depression or anxiety or making existing problems worse. 

Here are 5 things that you can try out to help manage your work stress: 

1. Recognise signs of stressStress can show itself through physical and emotional symptoms. These range from things such as headaches and chest pains to irritation and lack of concentration or motivation. When you notice symptoms like these, write them down and think about what might be causing them, this will help you recognise your triggers. Try to track them for a few weeks and identify the situations that create the most stress and your most common responses to them.  
2. Know your limitsThis can be as simple as asking for help when you need it. Although simple, asking for help can be quite challenging for some people. Start by having an open conversation with your supervisor about things such as workload, hours or pay – whatever you feel your stress is being caused by. Your supervisor will have an incentive to help as their employee’s mental wellbeing has been linked to productivity at work (APA, 2014). Most companies have free internal mental health schemes that you can sign up for if you feel you need them. Ask your supervisor for more information.

3. Develop some healthy habits: 

Developing healthy habits can help with stress management, so try out a couple of different types to see what suits you. Some examples: 

• Exercise! This is a great stressbuster. Yoga is a great choice as it is low intensity and easy to start. Running/walking has also shown benefits in stress management and reducing the risk of health problems. However, any form of physical activity is beneficial. 
• Make time for things you enjoy! this could be hobbies or new passions you want to try out, this can be anything from knitting and reading to spending time with family and friends – anything that gives you pleasure! 
• Sleep: getting enough good quality sleep is essential for stress management. Develop healthy sleeping habits such as limiting caffeine intake, setting bed/wake times and limiting screen time at night. 4. Don’t take work homeIt’s important to establish boundaries when it comes to our work-life balance, especially nowadays while most of us are working from home. There is this underlying pressure to make yourself available 24/7. This could mean you make some simple rules for yourself such as not checking your emails are 6pm or not answering your phone during meal times. This will be different for different people as people’s preferences vary. Yet, creating clear boundaries to separate these two parts of your life can reduce the stress that comes with a work-life imbalance. 5. Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness has been shown to lead to less intense stress responses as well as health benefits such as lowing high blood pressure and strengthening your immune system. You can try out some mindfulness apps such as Headspace or The Mindfulness App. Or if you are more serious about becoming more mindful, you can enrol in The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

If you find your stress is becoming worse or you need to speak to anyone, contact us today and we can help you manage your work-related stress