How to Manage Stress in the Workplace

While stressful phases at the job are common, constant and excessive workplace stress can have long-lasting, adverse effects on your life. It not only interferes with your productivity and performance, but the stress of work can also creep into your personal life, impacting important relations and quality of life. Apart from that, it also affects your health and overall wellbeing.

What Stress Does to Your Body

Stress does a lot more than just making you feel overwhelmed at work. Instead, it impacts your physical as well as mental health. Excessive stress can lead to persistent headaches, upset stomach, low energy levels, hypertension, sleeping problems or disorders, and even chest pain. Furthermore, it can trigger anxiety and depression in many people. For all these reasons, it is important to know and identify signs of stress and take appropriate actions to de-stress your body.

Common Signs of Stress

• Fatigue
• Trouble concentrating
• Trouble sleeping
• Loss of interest in work
• Stressed or aching muscles
• Persistent headaches
• Feelings of anxiousness
• Irritable mood
• Increased use of drug/alcohol
• Social withdrawal
• Decreased libido

Coping with Workplace Stress

When stressed or troubled, a lot of people turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms like smoking, stress eating, drinking, or drug abuse. Unfortunately, this generally does more harm than good and I am sure you don’t need to be told this. It is essential to understand workers must find a long-term solution -healthy and productive coping mechanisms for workplace stress. Small amounts of stress might be good for you and is a part of life. Meeting a deadline might cause a bit of stress, however at the same time it can lead to increased alertness, energy and productivity. A complete lack of stress can lead to reduced motivation and performance. On the other hand, if you feel you are being taken advantage of at work and constantly being pressured and then your boss says, “stress is good for you” maybe it’s time you start looking for a new job. Dealing with pressure (small amount of stress) and dealing with increased levels stress are two different things, don’t put these in the same category.

Let’s take a look at how you can beat workplace stress to give a boost to your career while also enjoying your personal life.

infographic from think24hrfitness

Develop Healthy Responses to Stress

Whether you are working in a trade, in a SEO office or a large legal firm or anywhere, the first thing you need to do is to identify your stress triggers. Keep an eye out for situations that cause you most stress or tasks that drain all your energy. Try to find a pattern to reach the root of the problem. Once you know what’s stressing you out, you can find healthy responses to deal with it.

For instance, if you realise that you feel most stressed in the morning, try going for a quick walk or get some exercise in your morning routine as both these activities are known to bring down stress levels. Some great stress-busting habits and activities that can help you de-stress your mind and body can be a morning jog, gym session, yoga or meditation.

Whether you indulge in these activities at the workplace or in your personal time, they can help you fight stress quite quickly. Furthermore, practicing these stress-busting healthy habits won’t take much of your time and they are also good for long-term stress management. So, make sure you incorporate them into your daily routine.

Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle

Your lifestyle plays an important role when it comes to stress management. If you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed out at work, it may have a lot to do with your lifestyle.

Start by eating healthy. While you may be tempted to order a lot of comfort food, it is important to understand that it does more damage than good. Therefore, it is important to eat healthy foods regularly and at the right time. Avoid late-night snacking or consuming caffeine before you hit the bed.

Getting a good night’s sleep is also essential because the better rested you are, the more equipped you will feel at work, the more confident you feel and there you will have lower stress levels throughout the day. Apart from that, exercising daily and hanging out with friends or loved ones can also help you tackle workplace stress.

Take time to Recharge

Taking time to recharge is perhaps the most important factor when it comes to handling workplace stress. It is essential to understand that stress builds up slowly, which means if you take regular self-care breaks, you are less likely to feel the immense pressure of workplace stress all at once.

The best way to recharge is to pamper yourself with stress-busting treats like something as simple as a massage or even paper yourself with at a wellness centre. They will leave you feeling mentally and physically relaxed and ready for stress-free work.

Chiropractic Care

Sometimes, it is hard to relax with tensed muscles and your body is aching due to excessive stress or exertions. This is where chiropractic care comes in! It is the ideal solution to de-stress your body quickly and easily.

Chiropractic care at Amara Wellness Centre combines spinal adjustment with individualized care for tissues and muscles to help you relax. It can also help you with neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel, shoulder pain, lower back pain, and other painful and uncomfortable conditions that are often associated with overworking and workplace stress. Apart from that, it focuses on the optimal function of the spine to promote general health and well-being.

Remember, while workplace stress is fairly common, it is essential to manage it to reach your full potential and lead a happy and healthy life. So, follow these tips and focus on your well-being to make sure you are never bothered by workplace stress again.