challenge yourself in your role. <\/a><\/p>\nOn the other hand, if you\u2019re feeling you have too much stress, here is your sign to slow down.<\/p>\n
Too much stress can lead to exhaustion and negative thoughts about your job, yourself and your capabilities. This phenomenon is called burnout, classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a response to job stressors that have not been properly managed.<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t benefit anyone when you are easily irritable, emotional and unable to make rational decisions while at work.<\/p>\n
While you may not be able to eliminate stress from your role, there are things you can do to reduce it, minimise its effects and manage it.<\/p>\n
Follow the tips below to deal with stress at work before it becomes overwhelming.<\/p>\n
Figure out what is causing your stress and implement solutions<\/h2>\n
It can be challenging to pinpoint what is causing you to feel stressed at work. It could be a difficult co-worker, a heavy workload, or a lack of control over your job.<\/p>\n
It is easier to resolve stress if you can figure out what is triggering it in the first place. That way you can start finding solutions.<\/p>\n
Remove causes of stress<\/h3>\n
In some cases, there may be ways to completely remove certain stressors. The key here is to set boundaries after identifying what is triggering your stress. Maybe it’s learning to say \u2018no\u2019 when your workload is heavy, or spending less time around those who cause unnecessary stress with their negativity.<\/p>\n
Change situations that cause stress<\/h3>\n
Changing the situation might be possible if it can\u2019t be completely avoided. Unlike removing the cause of stress, changing the situation requires you to make tweaks in the way the situation might affect you.<\/p>\n
For example, if your stress is caused by a heavy workload or your job responsibilities, and you can\u2019t say no or remove some tasks off your plate, speak to your manager and workshop ways to alter those tasks. You may find ways to complete the task more efficiently and effortlessly.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve been tackling a stressful task for too long and can spare five minutes, take the time to go for a walk or drink some water and take a breath. Short breaks can do wonders for your mental clarity.<\/p>\n
Change your attitude or behaviour towards stressors<\/h3>\n
If the situation can\u2019t be avoided, or altered, try changing your attitude or behaviour towards it. Start looking for opportunities or other positives in those stressful situations. If your source of stress is the long commute to and from work, find ways to make use of that time. Maybe it\u2019s listening to a podcast, practising mindfulness (see below), or planning recipes to cook for the week.<\/p>\n
If you find yourself doing a daunting task, think about how it might help you build your skills rather than how annoying it might be to complete.<\/p>\n
Accept that you might not be able to do anything at all<\/h3>\n
When things can\u2019t be avoided and or changed, it can be easy to get fixated on the issue and have tunnel vision. You might find yourself constantly bugged by the situation, fuelling your never-ending stress.<\/p>\n
The best advice we\u2019ve received for this situation is from our managing director, Mathew Westcott. His advice is to only let the stressor affect 2% of you and then move on. This advice is much better than \u2018just ignore it\u2019 or \u2018don\u2019t let it ruin your whole day\u2019; which makes it seem as though you\u2019re overreacting, or that your feelings are not valid. Being angry or upset is often involuntary but how much or how little you let things bother you can be a lot easier to manage.<\/p>\n
Practice mindfulness as a means to manage stress in the moment<\/h2>\n
Mindfulness. Everyone speaks about it but what is it?<\/p>\n
It can be hard to define mindfulness but the steps to exercise it are easier to grasp.<\/p>\n
Being mindful involves being aware of how you feel, what you\u2019re thinking and how you\u2019re physically present in the moment. It takes some practice, but doing so can help to relieve stress.<\/p>\n
While you\u2019re completing a task, try to channel and focus your attention on it.<\/p>\n
For example, take yourself away from your desk when eating lunch. Notice what you\u2019re tasting, and how the seat feels underneath you and take note of the weight of the spoon. You may feel silly but bringing your attention to specific aspects of that one moment is good practice for relieving stress in those stressful moments.<\/p>\n
When you find yourself in a stressful meeting or performing a stressful task, you\u2019ll be more acquainted with the exercise of mindfulness. You\u2019ll be better at noticing how tense your stomach is, or how much you\u2019re raising your shoulders. When you relax your stomach or drop your shoulders, your body will feel less tense and you\u2019ll also feel less stressed.<\/p>\n
Speak to someone you trust<\/h2>\n
When you\u2019re stressed, it can be hard to think of solutions. Consider speaking to someone you trust about what is causing you stress. It\u2019s easy to have tunnel vision when you\u2019ve been stressed, so having someone look in from the outside or another perspective can help to broaden that view.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re not ready for advice and simply want someone who can listen, let the other person know first! It is natural for people to begin offering solutions, but it could become frustrating when you just want to talk to someone who understands.<\/p>\n
On another note, you could use the time with this person as an escape. Being social and enjoying your time creates a break from stressful thought patterns, leaving you refreshed to return with new energy.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t forget about your physical health<\/h2>\n
If you\u2019re staying back at work to meet deadlines, you might not have time to do a full workout, cook a healthy meal or get enough sleep. We get it, sometimes you can\u2019t help it if you\u2019re working to hit a deadline.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, when you\u2019re not exercising, eating healthy or resting properly, your body is disadvantaged in handling stress. Luckily, we have some clever ways for you to still take care of yourself, so you still incorporate these activities into your routine.<\/p>\n
Try a different form of exercise<\/h3>\n
When it comes to physical activity, studies have shown that doing chores can be just as effective as running or working out. Try to challenge yourself in mopping or vacuuming quicker, or to do more chores in a smaller amount of time. Why make time to work up a sweat when you can already achieve it in something you already do?<\/p>\n
Snack differently<\/h3>\n
We\u2019re not going to tell you to cut out unhealthy snacks. Indulging is a form of stress relief for some people too, right? Instead, find ways to add valuable nutrients to your indulgent snacks!<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re craving cookies, consider smashing them up and sprinkling them over yogurt and berries. If you\u2019re eating instant noodles, buy chopped vegetables and parboil them to eat with the noodles. It might take a bit more time to prepare but the benefits could leave you feeling better rather than guilty.<\/p>\n
Make changes to save time for sleep<\/h3>\n
Sleep can be hard to make time for. The solution? Try getting a few things ready the night before your workday. If you take a few minutes to choose your outfit each day, do it the night before. If you\u2019re packing your lunch in the morning, pack it while you\u2019re in the kitchen serving up dinner instead. If you\u2019re often running around looking for your keys, create a designated spot in your home so you know where to find them in the morning. These few changes may seem miniscule, but put in play they could let you catch a few more ZZZs before you need to get up.<\/p>\n
Do something you enjoy<\/h2>\n
If you\u2019ve got time to spare outside of work, do things that you enjoy. We all have activities we enjoy where our minds become engrossed and we lose track of time. For some it might be cooking, for others it might be watching a movie. Doing something enjoyable takes your mind away from thinking about stress at work. It is an effective way of resting your mind.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re stressed you\u2019re often overloading your brain. Moving away from these thoughts can re-energise you and help you see from a new perspective when you return to the same stressful situation at work.<\/p>\n
Looking for more career advice? We\u2019ve got tonnes of advice to help you succeed in your work life in our blogs here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We\u2019ve all experienced high stress levels at work. Whether it\u2019s short deadlines, expectations, ongoing projects, or managing competing priorities, too much stress can lead to burnout and even worse \u2013 resignation! But stress isn\u2019t always a bad thing. It can help you stay focused, energetic, and meet new challenges. It stops you from being bored…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","footnotes":""},"categories":[119],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-development"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fuserecruitment.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fuserecruitment.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fuserecruitment.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fuserecruitment.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fuserecruitment.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15633"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fuserecruitment.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34247,"href":"https:\/\/www.fuserecruitment.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15633\/revisions\/34247"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fuserecruitment.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fuserecruitment.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fuserecruitment.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fuserecruitment.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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