Managing stress at work

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Read about how to recognise workplace stress here

At home and at work there are countless things in our lives that cause us to become anxious and ultimately lead to stress. Things like our relationships with our family and our work colleagues, lack of sleep, a feeling of having too much to do and not enough time, not making the time to relax and unwind… the list is practically endless.

In the workplace stress inducing situations are rife. Common ones include strained working relationships, heavy workloads, long hours, unrealistic expectations, poor communications, insufficient or improper training or concerns about job security. Stress typically builds up when a variety of potentially stressful experiences combine to overwhelm us: when we perceive that we’re out of our depth and believe that we have little or no control.

One of the problems with trying to define exactly what causes stress is that its a subjective thing. We all have different stress thresholds and find different things stressful. Some people, for example, find the thought of changing jobs terrifying, while others relish the challenge such a change brings. What we find stressful  is a very personal thing.

The important thing is to recognise your own stress thresholds, and when your stress alarm bells start to ring, take steps to manage that stress before it starts to have a detrimental affect on your work, and more importantly your health. If you start to feel the pressure, here are a few things you could try to keep your stress levels under control.

• Know your enemy: stress is the body’s response to the demands placed upon it. The level of pressure exerted by those demands determines our ability to cope. Learn to identify what causes you stress, and what the signs are.
• Take care of yourself: eating properly, taking regular exercise and getting enough sleep is important for physical and mental wellbeing. A balanced diet, moderate physical activity and getting a good night’s sleep will all help you to cope with workplace stress more effectively.
• Look on the bright side: feeling stressed is as much about how we perceive and react to a situation as it is to the situation itself. While there are many things in life that we can’t control, we can control our reaction to them. A positive, can-do attitude will do wonders to reduce your stress levels. Get creative, think outside the box, approach each new obstacle as a challenge, and most of all believe in your ability to find a positive solution.
• Manage your workload: be realistic about what you can do in a given time frame. Don’t take on too much: learn to say no, ask for help when you need it and manage people’s expectations so that your workload falls within what you can realistically achieve.
• Take a break: when you feel the pressure building, one of the most effective ways of reducing stress is to remove yourself from the stressful situation for a while. Take some time off to relax and unwind. Do something completely unrelated to work: even  a short walk around the block can relieve the immediate pressure, and help you to approach things from a fresh perspective.

Perhaps the most important thing is to remember, whatever you do, do something. Left unchecked stress can do irreparable damage. Remember that this is your life, and you’re in control. You have the power to change things whenever you want to.

At the end of the day, if work is demanding too much of you, perhaps its time to make a change. After all, jobs are a disposable commodity, you’re health and wellbeing are not.