How to Beat Stress at Work

Manage Stress At Work

Tips to stay calm, composed and happy at your work place.

Stress has become so common in our everyday lives that we have started to consider it normal and sometimes necessary. We have also started believing that little stress is healthy and can drive us to work hard. But we need to understand that no stress is healthy. It does more harm than good. Stress at work place has major impact on our career, health and family life. Being stressful for long period of time can lead to depression and many other health ailments.

It is shocking to know that most of the common diseases have to do with our daily stress levels. The main cause of all diseases may not be stress but stress aggravates every disease and delays the healing process. Following are some lifestyle changes you need to make to free yourself of stress and enjoy your work

Plan your day and Prioritize Your Tasks

Having a fair idea of what is awaiting can relieve you of some tension. Uncertainty is what causes fear which in turn makes you stressed. You cannot predict everything that might happen to you but by planning your day, you are at least sure of the things that you should definitely accomplish. This gives a fair idea of amount of time and effort you need to spend on a particular task. Start your day early and take 10 minutes to jot down your to do list.

Once you are clear about all the tasks you must finish, your next step would be to prioritize your tasks. Putting first things first and accomplishing the tasks which are of highest importance can relieve you of stress and also boost your confidence to deal will other tasks.

Learn To Say No

The need to accomplish more in less time is what builds the tension. It is often important to estimate the time required for the tasks based on the importance of the tasks and your capabilities and let your stake holders know that you might need more time, if required. Buying yourself more time is not a bad thing. But it’s important to raise the flag at the right time than compromise on the quality of the work.

Exercise, Meditate and Stay Positive

Exercise boots your energy and prepares you for the long day. It makes you feel light and vibrant while meditation calms you down and improves your focus.
Daily practice of meditation improves your overall emotional well-being by improving your emotional intelligence. It is also important that you stay positive and avoid negative thoughts. Positive self-talk can help you beat stress.
We are often unaware of our thoughts. It drains our energy, making us feel low and stressed. Try to stop and watch your thoughts and observe the quality of your thoughts. Once you are aware of your thought patterns, you need to consciously replace them with more positive and elevated thoughts. A positive frame of mind is essential for success in every walk of life.

Maintain Good Relationship With Your Colleagues

Having good friends to laugh with and to share your thoughts and feelings can be a major stress buster. Being genuinely nice to everyone from the security personnel to your boss will keep you happy. Avoid gossips and have good wishes and compassion for everyone around.

Practice Contentment

Lack of acceptance towards present situations also leads to stress.It is essentials to have goals in life but it is not wise to depend on your achievements for your happiness. You need to learn to work towards the goal yet be detached from the goal. Enjoy the journey than being obsessed with the end result. On a deeper level, happiness experienced on achieving some goal is so short lived that you often see yourself running behind other new goals in search of happiness. Growth is necessary, but happiness is not dependent on growth or achievement. Happiness is a choice we make. It is always there for you. All you need to do is to know it is there within you and experience it. To reduce your stress levels be grateful for all that you have right now.

Take Breaks

Taking breaks is important when you feel overwhelmed at work. Pushing yourself very hard in an attempt to outperform others can make you feel stressed. Learn to relax. Take a short break of 10 minutes every two hours. Sip some green tea or take few deep breaths and stay calm. You can as well go for a short walk if possible.

Avoid procrastination and lethargy

We often find ourselves relaxing when we have ample time for our deadlines and right before the due dates we panic and try to accommodate more in less time. Be it paying your bills or work deadlines, be proactive and avoid urgency as much as possible.