7 Strategies for Effective Stress Management at Work

Whether we like it or not, stress has become a more prominent part of everyday life, including our professional one. It’s nearly impossible not to get overwhelmed especially considering everything that we have to juggle on a daily basis.

If you’re feeling frazzled, worn out, and perpetually tired at work, what do you do? As much as we would like to, we can’t get rid of stress completely. We can only use stress relief techniques to ease the pressure. Let us help you how. In this article, we will highlight the most effective stress management techniques that you can use at work.

Putting effective stress management to work at work

It seems like such a contradiction when you seek to manage stress at work because most of the stressors can be found in the workplace. On a bad day, even the cord management (or lack thereof) at your work desk can trigger an emotional breakdown. What adds tension to the entire dilemma is the fact that in the workplace, we’re all expected to be cool, calm, and collected at all times. Professional, able to work under pressure, and mentally tough. There’s no other solution but to learn how to manage stress at work.

It might prove difficult, as with everything else in the beginning, but to be able to work well in the office, you have to learn. It’s necessary if one is to survive in the business world and if one wants to move up the corporate ladder. If you want to create a plan to use the most effective stress management techniques, you first need to list down your stressors. Finding out what you need to combat first is key to being able to address it properly with proper planning. Sit down by yourself with a pen and paper and make a list of everything that causes you to feel pressure and tension in the workplace. Don’t hold back. You can be as honest as you need to be – you have to be if you want to be able to help yourself. After completing the list, you can use the following stress relief strategies to aid you:

1. Perform breathing exercises to manage stress

Sometimes you do not have a minute to spare to stand up and leave your workstation if something stresses you out at work. However, you’re tense and under pressure and need immediate relief. What can you do? Recent scientific studies have proven that deep breathing is an effective sleep aid. Breathing techniques as effective stress management also alleviate anxiety.

The best thing about this stress relief activity is that you can do it anytime, anywhere. "Smell the flowers and blow out the candle" is a simple trick you can use. Inhale through your nose for four counts, hold that breath for seven counts, and slowly exhale through your mouth for eight counts. Do this five times the first time, then ten, and finally, fifteen, and see how you feel afterward. You can find for yourself that this simple activity will divert your attention from whatever stressor, and improve your emotional wellbeing and attention. While using deep breathing as an effective stress management action, you can close your eyes and envision yourself in a relaxing place like the beach, a wooded area, or a mountaintop with breathtaking views. If you’re able to, withdraw to a quiet room. An empty stairwell or even a bathroom stall can also work in a pinch. If you have music on your phone, you can plug your earphones in and listen to a relaxing tune for no more than five minutes.

2. Get moving – exercise, stretch and take a walk

The best way to snap out of a stressful situation is to get moving. You can use half of your lunchtime to take a quick walk outside. Even just one lap around your office building can help. If you want a change of scenery and get more movement, take your lunch outside, al fresco, at a nearby park is the most ideal. Then, you can distract yourself by people-watching or simply immersing yourself in your surroundings.

If you need a quickfire solution, there are exercises you can do at your workstation to get the blood pumping. You can do jumping jacks, leg stretches, or even running in place. You can step away from your computer and take a walk around the bullpen. You can use this time to say hello to colleagues but keep it short so as not to be perceived as gossiping or wasting time at work. Some stretches can also be done while seated. You can drape one arm over the backrest of your chair, using it as an anchor as you turn your upper body sideways, effectively stretching your core. Neck exercises can also do the trick. Gently turn your head from one side to another, look up, engage your neck muscles, and then look down so your chin touches your neck, to relieve pressure at the nape.

3. Kick the bad habits immediately

For some people, the go-to activity when stressed is smoking either a cigarette or a vape. Others choose to go drinking after work or binge-eating. These may be fun for a while and do the trick, but the long-term damage they may be doing to your body should turn you off. Vices and bad habits are simply not conducive to healthy living.

There are more healthful and helpful stress management activities. Choose instead to eat better. Ditch fast food and go for more healthy dining options. Caffeine and carbonated drinks also do nothing more than elevate your sugar levels to unhealthy numbers. Instead, keep yourself hydrated by drinking water. As an alternative to smoking or drinking, explore a fun exercise instead. Rally your team around and do something fun together, like a bowling night, karaoke, or even a group lunch outing at work. Making better choices when it comes to eating and drinking, as well as your other preoccupations, can altogether rid you of another stressor – unnecessary spending. Being able to save money surely mitigates anxiety for most people.

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4. Include self-care in your list of priorities

Letting go of personal hygiene is one of the hallmarks of depression brought on by stress and anxiety. Whenever you feel the pressures of your professional life are about to overcome you, take better care of yourself. It’s simply more challenging to get bogged down by the strain of your work life when you feel good about yourself. At home, put together a nighttime routine or skincare routine that you can do daily to rid yourself of negative thoughts and feelings brought on by your work day. At work, keep a bag of toiletries nearby, and whenever you feel stress catching up to you, retreat to the bathroom and wash your face or brush your teeth.

A simple exertion can distract your mind and snap you out of the rut. Another effective stress management activity you can make use of is having a support system. Surround yourself with people who will listen to you and provide you with constructive criticism or sound advice. There are times when your problems and worries seem so simple and insignificant when discussed with another person. Doing this will also take your focus away from what troubles you to a potential solution. If talking to someone else is not feasible at the moment, write it down. Transferring your worries or vexations onto paper soothes the mind and realigns your attention to the work at hand.

5. Include improving your surroundings

There’s no way you can’t be stressed and depressed in a cluttered, messy, and disorganized workspace. How can you hope to get any work done in the first place? When you have spare time, step back from your workstation and survey it with a critical eye. What needs updating, cleaning, and throwing out? Make a list if you need to, and then get moving. Before you make big changes, check with your team leader or manager to get clearance.

Something as simple as clearing your desk and organizing your work tools and gadgets can be an effective stress management undertaking. Putting things away physically can mean getting rid of the noise and clutter mentally so you can focus on work. Get things that make you happy, whether it’s notebooks that have funky-patterned covers, pens with scented ink, or themed toppers, as well as printed seat cushions. Follow Marie Kondo’s principle and fill your workspace with things that bring you joy.

6. Speak up and let your voice be heard

Timidity can lead to depression and dissatisfaction at work. Keeping your thoughts and opinions to yourself can be unhealthy. Despite the seemingly incessant noise of the world around us, it also pays to speak up from time to time. Get involved and participate in the discussion and see how it feels afterward. Speaking up during team meetings or town halls can be liberating since it pushes you out of your comfort zone.

Share your suggestions and recommendations, and look at how it makes you feel. There are times when our suppositions can be helpful and prove to be needed in the workplace, and the only way to find this out is if you speak. If you are feeling burnt out and overworked, reach out for help and ask for some of your tasks and projects to be delegated to other teammates or have the deadlines moved up a little bit. You can also give yourself comfort from the building tension and stress if you have colleagues to share your burdens with.

Yes, we are not at work to make friends, but it’s also true that a burden shared is a burden halved. Stick to facts, though. Do not lambast someone, especially a leader, just to unload. It’s a discussion and not a bashing session, so share your thoughts and feelings without putting anyone down. The best takeaway is if your collective heads can come up with additional effective stress management techniques.

7. Have an actual rest day from work

Another effective stress management solution is to treat your rest day as that – a rest day. Unplug and disconnect to allow your mind and body to rest and decompress from work. Whatever you do, make sure that it has nothing to do with work. If you have two days off, spend the first day sleeping in. Allow your body to just shut off to recover. Eat healthy options and drink plenty of water.

You can use the second day to either socialize or get your living space organized. Go out into the town and enjoy a good old knees-up. Be sure that you spend your rest days resting and not thinking or worrying about work. You can face it all on Monday. Away from work, you’re meant to enjoy your hobbies, pursue your interests and savor in the company of family and friends or just yourself.

Get tooled up for effective stress management

The best starting point for easing stress is getting quantifiable, informative data. Luckily, there are tools and apps that you can use for this. Bitrix24, for example, has a tool that measures your stress levels. You can use your smartphone camera, for starters, and keep track. From here, you can come up with measures to help alleviate stress. You can also share this tool with the rest of your team to help get everyone else some relief.

You may be surprised to find out that Bitrix24 is packed full of helpful tools for organizing your tasks and those of your team, helping you manage stress effectively. If you’re curious to know, register today. Bitrix24 is the best investment you can make for the wellbeing and stress relief of everyone in the workplace.

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