Whether you’ve heard that people are being made redundant in your office, or your boss is just a grade-A idiot, stress in the workplace can really take its toll on your mental health. Not only does your mental wellbeing suffer as a result of this stress, but the wellness of your relationships and job performance can also be affected when worries are weighing on your mind and body, so why not try to reduce that stress in with these six simple steps.
First and foremost, note the warning signs of excessive stress at work. Are you going home exhausted and anxious at night? Do you worry all the time and have trouble sleeping? Are you irritable and harsh towards your family? Don’t dismiss these factors as one-offs that you’ll fix tomorrow, these are signs that you need to proceed with the next five steps.
Secondly, your physical and emotional health can help to improve your mental health so make sure you get regular exercise and adequate rest. Go to the gym before work or take a walk during your lunch break, and bring a good book to escape into. Don’t drink coffee after dinner and make sure you go to bed at the same, reasonable time every night. When at work, establish friendships with your colleagues so you have someone to listen to you, support you, and laugh with you through the day.
Next, establish your priorities and get organised. Make a list of critical tasks and tackle them in order of importance and urgency, so you can get onerous tasks out of the way and reduce the greatest sources of pressure. With large projects, develop a step-by-step action plan so it seems more manageable, and make sure you delegate responsibility and share the load with others who are happy to assist.
When you’ve managed your workload, take a look at how you manage your time. Analyse your time, responsibilities, and daily tasks, not just in the workplace but in your personal time, family life, social activities and personal interests. Don’t over-commit to anyone but allow yourself time for each facet of your life and discipline yourself not to cross those lines. However, don’t schedule every second of your day!
Also, it’s in your manager’s best interest to reduce stress for everyone in the workplace, so ask him or her to improve communication between parties, be honest and transparent about company challenges, clearly define roles and responsibilities and allow you to have a voice in decisions on scheduling, workloads, deadlines and rules that will affect your job.
Finally, you can’t go wrong by looking on the bright side. A positive outlook can help you to eliminate self-defeating behaviour, and improve your energy, hope and motivation. Focus on the things you can change, rather than dwelling on the things you can’t, and try to see the silver lining in whatever you do.
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