Work-related stress is very common, but this doesn’t mean it should be normalised and ignored. There are many ways to prevent or combat stress to improve your work life, and in turn, improve life overall.
- Understand your stressors. Identifying what is stressing you out is the first step in being able to prevent or combat the stress when you are in the scenario next time.
- Ask for help. Communication with your manager or colleagues can help to relieve some of your stress. Your manager may be able to help alleviate your stress, particularly if it is workload related. Communicating with your colleagues can also alleviate your stress as they may be able to relate to your issues, be able to help with solutions.
- Connect with supportive people. You may feel more comfortable communicating your issues to people who you do not work with. Confiding in someone outside of the workplace can relieve some of your stress.
- Create workplace boundaries. Setting boundaries will help to prevent burnout, delegating tasks, or saying no to tasks you know you cannot complete is important if your stress is caused by workload.
- Take a walk. You could take a walk during your lunch break, walking reduces the endorphins that cause stress, even just a 10 minute walk each day will make a difference.
- Improve your sleep. A good nights sleep doesn’t just mean getting in as many hours as possible. It’s also important to follow a consistent sleeping pattern, and ensure you get a deeper sleep by winding down away from screens and stress before bed. Having a better sleep will calm and restore your body, and regulate your mood, meaning you can better cope with stress.
- Develop end of day habits. Creating a routine to close off your work day will help you switch off, and feel relaxing during your off-work hours. You can do this by making to-do lists for the next day, or simply ending your work day with a bath. Whatever will make you feel relaxed and prepared for the next day.
- Practice meditation or mindfulness. Both of these practices will help to calm the mind and relax the body in times of stress. Practicing these daily, or whenever you are in a moment of stress, will improve your ability to combat your stress.
