There is no particular industry or job that is without stress. Even if you love your work and enjoy going into the office each day, you may feel tension at one stage or another.
Rather than allowing that stress to take over and become the dominant force in your life, you must find a way to overcome that stress. Below are six tips that will help you better manage your stress at work.
- Watch Out For Signs
A lot of people struggle to understand when they are about to experience an episode of extreme stress or anxiety. Even if you believe these moments happen suddenly, you are likely missing a lot of warning signs.
Perhaps you have a change in mood, become more aggressive or confrontational, or start to lose motivation each time you are experiencing too much stress. Others may notice they are not sleeping enough, wake up feeling fatigued, or find themselves without the energy to do anything when they get home from work.
Photo by Thirdman
When you are aware of the warning signs, you can begin to take corrective action before the problem gets even worse. You can try to get more sleep, take a mental health day off work, visit with friends who make you feel better or talk to a therapist to pull you out of a potential stress episode.
- Keep High-Risk Situations in Mind
Most people experience more stress at work when they feel a lack of control over what is happening around them. Even if your employee skills make you ideally suited for your particular job, you should be aware of certain high-risk situations that could exacerbate your anxiety.
For instance, having to deal with a troublesome coworker or customer may have caused you to feel extremely stressed on a previous day. Try to avoid such a confrontation in the future, as you know how it will make you feel.
- Set Boundaries
An inability to say no can create a lot of problems for some people at work. If you are such a person, you must create boundaries so that you are not taking on too much on your plate.
Talk to your boss about this issue and explain that you often take on more tasks than you can comfortably handle. When they are aware of this issue, they can resist asking you for help each time there is a mini-crisis at work.
Being a reliable person at work does come with disadvantages. Even if you want to please everyone and do a wonderful job for your team, you must make your mental and emotional health the number one priority.
- Find a Balance
Spending all your time and energy on work will only increase your stress. You may start to feel as though your job is taking over your life, as you do little else but work, think about work or talk about work with others.
Try to create a balance between the time you spend at work and away from the office. Find hobbies and activities that interest you and can occupy your time.
Engage with friends and family and try your best to talk about topics that have no relation to your job. Even spending a few hours a day forgetting about work can help ease your mind.
- Raise Grievances Quickly
photo by SHVETS
A work-related problem that is left to fester will only get worse. Raise any grievances right away, rather than avoiding confrontation.
If you are having an issue with a coworker, talk to them as soon as possible. Should you have a problem with a decision taken by your manager or supervisor, politely inform them of your disagreement at the earliest possible opportunity.
- Find Your Support
Having a support group can make all the difference as you deal with the daily stress of your job or personal life. Everyone should have a support group that helps them through the worst moments, whether it is a group of friends, family members, or work colleagues.
Try to find a group that can support you during difficult moments, while giving back that same support to others in the group. Having people you can count on will make you feel a lot better about any unfortunate incidents that happen at work.
Stay Calm and Push Forward
Having the tools at your disposal to cope with stress will help you immensely as you go back to work the following Monday. Now that you are aware of effective strategies to manage stress, you know what to do if you are ever feeling overwhelmed or anxious at your job.
Feature photo by Andrea Piacquadio
