published: 28 Aug 2020
5 min read | website: www.ebr.com.au
1) WELL SPEND ON YOUR DAY OFF
After scrambling to get the kids fed and off to school, dodging traffic and gulping down coffee for a healthy breakfast, many people arrive to work already stressed. This makes them more reactive to stress in the workplace. You might be surprised by how affected by workplace stress you are when you have a stressful morning. When you start off the day with planning, good nutrition, and a positive attitude, you might find that the stress of your job rolls off your back more easily.
2) Keep Perfectionism in Check
Being a high achiever might make you feel good about yourself and help you excel at work, but being a perfectionist can create problems for you (and those around you). You might not be able to do everything perfectly, every time—especially in a busy, fast-paced job. A good strategy to avoid the perfectionism trap is always striving to just do your best and making time to congratulate yourself on your efforts. You may find that your results are better and you'll be much less stressed at work.
3) Be Comfortable
Another surprising stressor at work is physical discomfort, often related to where you perform most of your daily tasks (such as your desk). You might not notice you're stressed if you're sitting in an uncomfortable chair for just a few minutes, but if you practically live in that chair when you're at work, you might have a sore back and be more reactive to stress because of it.
4) Relaxation strategies.
Relaxation helps counter the physiological effects of the fight-or-flight response. For example, progressive muscle relaxation helps reduce muscle tension associated with anxiety. To practice this skill, sit comfortably with your eyes closed. Working from your legs upward, systematically tense and relax each major muscle groups. Hold the tension for 10 seconds; release tension for 20 seconds. Each time you release muscle tension, think 'relax' to yourself. This skill and many other relaxation strategies can help reduce symptoms of anxiety.
5) Stay out of the office gossip mill
Workplace conflict can take a major toll on your emotional well-being. Try to avoid participating in gossipy situations. If you know that one of your colleagues is especially prone to gossip, find a way to spend less time with them or steer the conversation to safer topics.
Some other strategies for staying out of the fray include:
- Emphasizing the positive ('Daniel has been juggling a lot lately and handling it really well.')
- Ignoring the conversation and changing the subject to something unrelated
- Running away ('So sorry, I have a huge deadline due after lunch and can't stay and chat.')
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