Sometimes work stress hits you like tons of bricks directed at your mental well-being. Other times it continues to stir within you like water in a boiling pot. Whether it is due to a tyrannical boss, an overflowing inbox, never-ending to-do lists, or competition with co-workers – the heart of the problem is that work-life stress is a massive issue in America.
As per a survey by the American Psychological Association, an overwhelming one-third of the US workforce feels stressed out due to their work. Even more appalling is the fact that most of these workers complained about not knoing how to handle and cope with this stress.
As we mark National Stress Awareness Day on April 16, it is essential to address the concerns of our majority workforce. National Stress Awareness Day is an annual event that aims to help people understand the mechanism of stress and how it affects the body. It also helps people become aware of the various stress-management strategies to deal with the overwhelming amount of stress in different aspects of our life.
Since work is a significant part of our everyday life and deeply impacts all other aspects of our well-being, it is important to develop effective coping strategies to handle work stress. This National Stress Awareness Day, let us have a look at some of the best tips for managing work stress.
Tips To Handle Work-Stress
1. Do not try to be superhuman.
There is no upside to sacrificing your mental health and well-being every day at work. This self-martyrdom will lead you nowhere. Letting yourself feel burdened and stressed out will not do much good for you. However, stopping for a moment and reflecting on your work-life will. With little boundaries and self-discipline, you won’t have to overextend yourself and feel burdened with an unending list of things to do.
Therefore, use assertive communication to let people know that when you have reached your limits. There is always a limit to what you can get done in a day, and it is crucial that you let people know these limits. They will understand that you need to rest. It is normal; we all have to. But first, you must be responsible for communicating your needs without guilt or fear.
2. Shut down your gadgets or get away from them for some time.
Understand that you don’t necessarily have to be accessible all the time. It is important that you try to confine your work hours to what you define as your work day. If you work from nine to five in the evening, try to ignore your emails or work calls once you reach home.
Additionally, regardless of your overwhelming workload, try to spare some time away from your laptop screens. It might seem like an interruption for some, but this environment or scenery change is good to recharge your system and help you focus on something else for a while.
3. Make a work bestie.
Yes, we see how frivolous this sounds. But according to the new Gallup poll, people who have a good friend at work are better engaged with their job and can also handle work stress much more efficiently. To ensure that these work friends don’t become a burden or another added stressor, try to incorporate socializing with your work. For instance, take a walk with your office friend to discuss some project or plan to eat lunch with them, etc.
In case trying to find an office friend seems impossible for you, try to have at least one fruitful social interaction each day. It could be as easy as dialing your best friend or something more complicated, like conversing with a stranger at a coffee shop.
4. Choose a good healing activity for yourself.
Find something soothing to do in your free time. Use the trial and error method to find something that does not feel like a task yet leaves you feeling fulfilled. This could be anything – from gardening, learning guitar, and journaling. The only criterion is that it should eventually make you feel good and rejuvenated.
Read more: 45 Simple Examples Of Self-Care Practices
5. Remind yourself about things that actually matter to you.
At the beginning of each day at work, remind yourself about the things that matter the most. And trust us when we say that, in all likelihood, work will not be your first answer.
So is work important to you?
Yes.
Is it the most important aspect of your life?
Probably, not.
At the end of the day, you will probably not say that if I finish that report one day early, I will have a fulfilled and happy life. Now, this is not to set you up for failures or half-hearted attempts at work. This is to help you find the right perspective in life about the things that actually matter.
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Conclusion:
National Stress Awareness Day is the perfect time to highlight the growing work stress-related crisis among American workers. It is important to help our workforce find the right balance between their professional life. This will not just support their mental well-being but will also translate into greater productivity and efficiency.
Stress is not limited to work life. In the age we live, it has found a place in almost all aspects of our life. This National Stress Awareness Day, dive deeper into how to handle regular life stressors here.
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