Work stress is a modern epidemic. More than one-third of American workers experience chronic work stress. This is estimated to cost American businesses up to $300 billion a year in lost work hours and medical bills[1]. Therefore, it’s important that we start to learn how to deal with stress at work.
Clearly, if you’re suffering from work stress, you’re far from alone. However, this stress isn’t inevitable.
In this article, I’m going to suggest the most suitable ways to cope with job stress so you can become a happy and productive worker again.
Where Work Stress Comes From
Certain factors tend to go hand-in-hand with work-related stress. The causes of stress include:
Too Much Work
You feel overwhelmed by your work and find yourself saying: “There are not enough hours in the day!”
The Job Is Too Easy
If the job doesn’t challenge you or inspire you to learn more, you can quickly lose motivation and get stressed.
Lack of Social Support
Maybe you feel pressured by coworkers or don’t feel like you’re part of a community at work.
Little Praise, Lots of Criticism
A lousy manager uses constant criticism to try to motivate you, but all you really want to hear is “good job.”
Very Competitive Work Culture
You may feel like you’re constantly having to compete against your coworkers to get ahead. This can be exhausting and very stressful.
Lack of Control
Your boss or manager likes to micro-manage, leaving you little room to make your own decisions and utilize creativity.
Aiming for Perfection
While it’s good to do your best, being a perfectionist can be a powerful stress generator.
Low Salary
If you work hard but receive slim financial rewards, you may start to feel unappreciated, frustrated, and stressed.
The Negative Effects of Stress
Chronic stress is bad news for your mental and physical health. These are some health symptoms of stress:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Increased appetite
- Eye strain
- Backaches
- Digestive problems
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
As one study points out, “chronic life stress has been consistently associated with poorer cognitive function, accelerated cognitive decline, and increased incidence of dementia”. This underlines the importance of avoiding stressful situations as much as possible.
This 4-minute video shows just how stress can wreak havoc on your brain and your performance:
How to Deal With Stress at Work
You don’t need to be a victim of work stress. Here’s how to manage stress in the workplace:
1. Set Aside Some Time for Planning
If work has become too much for you, and you’re constantly falling behind…stop! Instead of trying and failing to catch up, you’d be much better off spending some time thinking about your goals and how to prioritize your tasks to improve time management.
Learn how to set clear goals
For instance, if your initial goal is just to get on top of your work (probably for the first time in months), then take 10 minutes to think clearly and deeply about how you can achieve this. Once your goal and tasks are clear in your mind, you’ll be ready for the second step.
2. Align Your Tasks With Your Goal
Just knowing your goal and associated tasks is not enough if you want to learn how to deal with stress at work. Many people reach this stage but still fall behind with their work and fail to achieve their goals.
The secret is to understand which of your tasks should be high priority, and which ones can be done when you have spare time.
Always Putting Things off Until Tomorrow?
For example, checking your inbox every 20 minutes may seem to be a productive task for you, but in reality it acts as a constant distraction and a source of stress. Instead, you’d be better off setting aside 30 minutes in the morning to check your emails and 30 minutes in the afternoon to do the same.
By doing this, you’ll free up the bulk of your day for tasks that can help you reach your goal. These tasks are likely to be things like writing a business proposal, creating a PowerPoint presentation, or finishing an important project.
These tips on how to prioritize will help you align your tasks with your goals and work 10X more efficiently.
3. Remove, Change, or Accept the Stressors
How can you tackle specific work stressors? I recommend the following method that WellCast introduced:
Next, think of the stressors that are getting to you the most. Perhaps it’s your paycheck; it might be way smaller than you’d like or feel that you deserve. Don’t worry, this is your chance to break free from the stress surrounding your low pay.
Think for a few moments. Which would you prefer?
- To remove yourself from the company
- To try to change your salary by asking for a pay rise
- To accept that your salary is okay for you
You may be surprised at what thoughts come into your mind. Don’t reject them, but allow yourself time to be clear on how you’d like to proceed.
If the status quo feels good to you, then write “paycheck” in the accept column. If you decide you want to increase your salary but stay in the same company, write “paycheck” in the change column. And finally, if you decide the time is right to seek a new opportunity at a different organization, then write “paycheck” in the remove column.
By being decisive in this way, you’ll immediately feel more in control of your destiny, and your stress levels will begin to decrease. All that remains is to set yourself a clear goal.
Of course, if you have multiple work stressors, then use your remove, change, or accept sheet to work through all of them to reduce stress. It will be time VERY well spent.
4. Create Positive Relationships at Work
One key when learning how to deal with stress at work is being able to accept help outside of friends and family. Not only does it alleviate negative circumstances by creating a buffer between daily tasks and their negative connection, but it will provide a sense of support and relief.
Make an effort to create friendships with your colleagues. Go to the after-work happy hour, or just ask a colleague out for coffee at lunchtime. Not only will you have someone to confide in, but you will start to associate positive feelings to work.
Why Do So Many People Fail to Reach Their Goals?
Forming a healthy relationship with your manager or supervisor is also a good way to alleviate stress. Positive, two-way conversations about where you stand in your job, being honest about how you feel, and working together to make a plan of action in terms of improved work conditions and expectations are paramount.
This will lead to opening up and receiving the necessary resources you need to support or help you.
5. Take Time for Yourself
Anyone can get overwhelmed when stress occurs at work, and this can spill into other areas of your life. This is why it’s important to clock out mentally from your job from time to time.
Take time off to relax and unwind in order to regain your energy and come back to work invigorated. Make sure you actually do something you enjoy, like spending time with your kids or partner, or visit that country you’ve always wanted to explore.
If taking time off work isn’t possible in the midst of your stress, take scheduled breaks throughout your day. Sit quietly somewhere, or do some stretches to get your blood flowing.
6. Take Mindful Action Towards Your Health
The irony of stress is that your healthy habits can take a backseat. This can’t happen if you really want to learn how to deal with stress at work! Maintaining and even improving your physical and mental health will keep your stress under control. Here are some ways to keep you physically fit:
Eat Healthy Foods
Make sure your diet is full of foods that provide your body with sufficient nutrients. Eat more fruits and green vegetables, whole foods, omega-3 rich fish , and seeds such as flax, chia, and hemp. These types of food ensure your body is working optimally to cope with its stress mechanisms.
Avoid Unhealthy Foods
This is obvious, but it’s these kinds of food you reach for in times of stress and negativity. High-fat foods, such as cheese and red meat, cause sluggishness and tiredness. Foods high in refined sugars ,like cookies, chocolate bars, and bread can be convenient snacks, but they cause you to crash and burn.
Exercise Regularly
Endorphins are great for counteracting stress, and you can get more of them through exercise. Exercise creates a distraction and helps you get your thoughts back together in an orderly way. Start exercising today to improve your physical and emotional health!
Get Enough Sleep
Make getting 8 hours sleep a priority. When we’re stressed it can sometimes feel hard to get to sleep, but sleep deprivation only exaggerates our current stress.
Final Thoughts
Everyone encounters work stress. It’s a natural and normal human reaction. The difference between letting the stress overcome you and coping with it is getting a head start by creating a positive environment and lifestyle.
Learn how to deal with stress at work is both an inside and outside job. Focusing on improving your health will create a positive mind that’s able to react better. Forming positive relationships with certain people around you will give you emotional support.
Beat stress with the right mindset!
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