Do you remember the days when you were still in high school with absolutely nothing to worry about? Days, when you used to see the world as a wonderful playground with rainbows and butterflies. Then all of a sudden, life hits you; you’re already out of school, ready for college and real world. You try to find a job hoping not only for one with a good paycheck but also which is fun and interesting.
Well, basically what you hope for is a fairy tale. Because there’s this invisible thing waiting for you in your workplace, that will drain your energy, ruin your concentration, and destroy your confidence. You may find this on the first day of work on your co-workers’ faces, who have been working there for years. “What’s this thing you’re talking about?” you might ask.
I can’t stress enough about the effects stress causes on the mental health of employees in the workplace. According to the Center for Workplace Mental Health, “Work-related stress causes 120,000 deaths and results in $190 billion in healthcare costs yearly.” Yes, those are some very scary numbers, indeed. Workload, lack of job security, and personal problems are some of the common factors that cause employees to take the stress.
Stress at work is very common these days, and finding a low-stress job is very hard. Stress is like a natural disaster, it’s almost inevitable. But, in the same way as dealing with a natural disaster, you might not be able to prevent it, but you can certainly be prepared for it. You might have tried all those stress-reduction tactics before to relieve the stress, but didn’t work for you.
So, here are the 7 Easy Stress Reduction Techniques you can try if you’re finding hard to reduce stress at workplace.
List of Techniques to Reduce Stress at Workplace
1. Begin your day right
Morning can be a nightmare for most people. Your alarm doesn’t go off, you’re late for work, you can’t find the other pair of socks, you dress while having breakfast and spill coffee all over your shirt, then you speed your way to the office and run over the red light. Now, after all of these series of terrible events, you finally get to work. How do you think your day will go? Stress, anxiety, anger, you name it. So, you see the way you start your day can have a huge impact on how you spend the rest of your day. Therefore, it’s very important to start your day with planning, good food, and a positive attitude.
2. Be in control
This is one of the most common weaknesses of most people. When we fail to perform a certain task or deliver our best performance, we tend to lose control of ourselves. And when we lose control, we start to experience stress. As a result, it triggers the stress hormone and weakens our confidence, concentration, and energy. So, whenever you feel like you’re losing your grip on yourself, recognize the aspects of the situation you’re in; the parts you can control, and the parts that are out of your hands.
3. Take Deep Breaths
Often, people overlook the importance of breathing and take it for granted. But, what most people don’t know is; deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body.
When you’re stressed, the cortisol level in your body rises, which stimulates alertness and vigilance, raises heart rate and blood pressure. Taking deep breaths helps decrease your increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure. This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax. Breathing exercises are a good way to relax, reduce anxiety, and relieve stress. So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed after a long work session and need to clear your head, take a deep breath by inhaling for 5 seconds, hold and exhale through your nose.
4. Avoid conflicts
Sometimes, you can’t get along with everyone at your work. Maybe it’s because they don’t like you, or you don’t like them. And this kind of interpersonal conflict can have a grave effect on both your physical and emotional health. Conflict, disputes, and disagreements between co-workers are a part of daily life, however, that doesn’t mean you have to be involved in those conflicts. Instead, as possible, you should try to stay away from the people who don’t agree with you and avoid conflicts at work as much as you can.
5. Keep yourself organized
Being crushed by the workload is a major stressor for anyone. The reason most people feel overwhelmed by their work is that they don’t know how to handle stress at their work. It’s very crucial to prioritize and organize your tasks and yourself to learn how to handle stress. Thus, to relieve major stress, try to keep yourself organized. For this, you can clarify your goals, use your goals to evaluate the importance of every task, make a list of things to do, and set deadlines for every task.
6. Eat healthy
Studies show that eating a healthy diet can reduce the negative effects of stress on your body. Eating healthy is certainly not an easy habit to cultivate these days, especially, when we’re super busy and stressed with our work. Most people, trying to save time during work eat snack foods or some don’t even eat at all, which has a negative impact on your health, which is worse than stress.
Stress negatively affects blood pressure and blood flow. Therefore, you should eat nutritious foods that contain; vitamin E, omega-3s, and polyphones. In this way, eating a healthy diet has a positive effect on your health.
7. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is one of the most under-rated and best stress relievers as well as important factor to reduce stress at workplace.. Although, the inability to sleep has been believed to be a symptom of stress, new research shows that poor sleep may actually be the cause of stress. Following a regular sleep, routine calms and restores the body, improves concentration, regulates mood, and sharpens judgment and decision-making. When you don’t get enough sleep, it hinders your ability to handle even a normal amount of stress, and negatively affects your mood. So, try to get 6-8 hours of sleep at night, and take short naps of 15-20 minutes during your break every day.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are 5 ways to reduce stress at work place?
5 ways to reduce stress:
- Take deep breaths
- Eat healthy
- Get enough sleep
- Stay organized
- Exercise
What are the 5 emotional signs of stress?
5 emotional signs of stress:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Moodiness
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Loneliness
How can I relax my brain?
Follow these instructions to relax your mind:
- Take slow, deep breaths
- Soak in a warm breath
- Listen to calming music
- Meditate
- Write down your feelings
Can stress kill me?
Yes, stress can kill you. Though it’s not the stressful situations that kill you, it’s how you deal with stress that affects your health. There are a number of ways chronic stress can kill you. That includes increased levels of cortisol, often referred to as the stress hormone. Elevated cortisol levels interfere with learning and memory, lower immune function and bone density, and increase blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart disease.
What is the best medicine for stress?
The antidepressants most widely prescribed for anxiety are SSRIs such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro, and Celexa. SSRIs have been used to treat generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
What foods prevent stress?
Top 10 Foods for Stress Relief
- Avocado
- Banana
- Tea
- Fatty fish
- Yogurt
- Carrots
- Swiss chard
- Eggs
- Turmeric
- Brazil nuts
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