When job and workplace stress surrounds you, you can’t ignore it, but there are simple steps you can take to regain control over yourself and the situation. Your growing sense of self-control will also be perceived by others as the strength it is, leading to better relationships at work. Here are some suggestions for reducing job stress by prioritizing and organizing your responsibilities:
- Create a balanced schedule and make time for yourself
- Don’t over commit yourself – learn how to say no!
- Plan regular breaks – every 90 minutes is our recommendation!
- Prioritize tasks – determine your peak working time and plan your schedule accordingly. Use your peak time each morning to do the most important tasks
- Break projects into small steps
- Delegate responsibility
It is impossible to escape pressure at work all together, so you need to need to learn how to manage stress effectively. Taking care of yourself doesn’t require a total lifestyle overhaul. Even small things can lift your mood, increase your energy, and make you feel like you’re back in the driver’s seat. Take things one step at a time, and as you make more positive lifestyle choices, you’ll soon notice a noticeable difference in your stress level, both at home and at work.
Xhilarate Office Massage is guaranteed to lift you out of the hustle and bustle of everyday stress, but there are a number of other things that you can do throughout the day to help improve your sense of calm and composure:
Exercise: We spend eight hours a day sitting at our desks. Studies have shown that long periods of inactivity can make us feel tired and apathetic. Aerobic exercise (perspiring) is an effective anti-anxiety treatment lifting mood, increasing energy, sharpening focus and relaxing mind and body. Yoga and Tai Chi are also beneficial for calming the mind and releasing built up tension in the body. 30 minutes of exercise per day is recommended.
Diet: Eat regular meals and a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables. Eating small but frequent meals throughout the day maintains an even level of blood sugar in your body. Low blood sugar makes you feel anxious and irritable whilst eating too much can make you lethargic.
Avoid Alcohol, Caffeine & Nicotine: Instead of helping, these stimulants will increase your stress and cortisol levels. Alcohol temporarily reduces anxiety and worry, but too much can cause anxiety as it wears off. Drinking to relieve job stress can also start you on a path to alcohol abuse and dependence. Similarly, smoking when you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed may seem calming, but nicotine is a powerful stimulant, leading to higher, not lower, levels of anxiety.
Breathe: If it’s difficult for you to get physical exercise at work do not fret – you can reduce stress and tension by doing a short relaxation exercise. Just 1-5 minutes of deep, mindful breathing can relieve headaches, tension and anxiety symptoms, and can improve concentration.
Sleep: Stress and worry can cause insomnia. But lack of sleep also leaves you vulnerable to stress. When you’re sleep deprived, your ability to handle stress is compromised. When you’re well-rested, it’s much easier to keep your emotional balance, a key factor in coping with job and workplace stress.
Perform a random act of kindness: Being kind can actually reduce stress and make us healthier! Doing something good for others while at the office; buying someone lunch, making a coffee, donating money to charity, smiling at a stranger… the emotional warmth associated with random acts of kindness can produce the hormones oxytocin and dopamine, which reduce blood pressure and make us feel euphoric. The effects of kindness are contagious, so what goes around will come around.