Managing Work Stress
We all experience work related stress, and there is no avoiding it. However, not all stress is negative. Some stress can even be motivating, such as the stress you feel to complete an assignment. Negative stress is the stress that overloads you and causes you to be unhappy and unproductive. It can impair your ability to function, harm your work relationships and possibly even impact your health. While you can't avoid it, you can manage negative work related stress.
The first thing to do is make sure you are living a healthy lifestyle. Eating a healthy diet and getting enough sleep will put you in a state of mind that allows much of the stress you encounter at work to roll right off your back. Getting regular exercise will not only reinforce your health, but will actually burn off stress. Other activities such as yoga and breathing exercises will help you relax, focus, and let go of stress.
Design a work space that you find soothing. Display photographs of your family and friends and decorate your work area in a way that you find comforting. Use a chair that is comfortable. You can't underestimate how much a uncomfortable chair will impact your state of mind. Keep your work space orderly and clean.
Get organized. Don't just make a list of activities to be done, prioritize them and outline steps needed to complete each task. When you are short on time it will help to know what has to be done right away. Communicate often and effectively with everyone who is involved in your projects. You can avoid many problems and much stress if everyone is on the same page.
Get out of your chair. Get your blood moving and give yourself a change of pace throughout the day by taking short walk breaks. Go for a longer walk during lunch. Spend some time during the work day in a quiet place by yourself and just relax.
Avoid conflict at work. You are stuck with your co-workers for eight hours or more a day, so avoid controversial subjects and gossip. Building positive relationships will reduce stress and improve productivity, but conflict will destroy your ability to work with others and will create new stress.
Know your limits and don't get in over your head. If you already have more than you can handle, decline more assignments or delegate some of your work to others. Budget more time than you think you will need for a task - there will always be something else that needs to be done if you finish early.
Take time away from work, and when you do, actually take time away from work! Don't take your work home with you unless you have no other choice, and never take it with you when you go on vacation!
If you take care of yourself, create a work environment that you enjoy, organize your work and work well with others, you will find day to day stress much easier to manage.
