Workplace stress is an issue affecting many professionals. It can lead to less job satisfaction and even health issues down the road, so it’s definitely something you want to learn how to manage! If you are sick of starting a new work week with a new load of stress, it’s time to make a change. Follow these tips to rid yourself of stress and frustration:
Organize Your Workspace
A simple way to eliminate stress is to eliminate clutter! Spruce up your workspace, because knowing where all of your material is located will take away the extra drama of the frantic search when you’re busy.
Communicate More
Don’t keep your stress to yourself, but at the same time, don’t become the office complainer. Find that healthy communication balance where you’re sharing your sticking points and workload with your team to help manage expectations without crossing that line into whining. Good communication will also help eliminate confusion while potentially solving issues.
Take Breaks
Step away from your desk, cubicle or office for a little bit throughout the day and use your full lunch time. Take a walk outside, eat at your favorite lunch spots or do something you enjoy. Making time away from your work will help give you a clear head and reenergize you to tackle the rest of your work for the day.
Make Time for Exercise
Exercise is a great natural de-stressor! Make time a couple nights (or mornings, if you’re a morning person) a week for a good work out, and get ready to reap the physical and mental benefits!
Unplug in the Evenings
In the age of smartphones, tablets and our mobile society, unplugging is only becoming more difficult. But how many times have you checked your email just one last time before bed, read something that upsets you and then laid awake all night thinking about it? Unplugging is essential when fighting the work week stress battle.
Change Your Mindset
Inc. Magazine wrote an article about Columbia Business School’s Heidi Grant Halvorson’s post on the Harvard Business Review Blog Network about how it’s not the existence of stress that is detrimental to people’s health – it’s how we view that stress. She argues that if you believe stress to be a bad thing (like the majority of us do), it will have a negative impact on you. If you view stress as a positive thing that enhances your life and learning experiences, you will have better heath and satisfaction. You might believe that changing your mindset on stress is impossible, because its negativity is so ingrained in our thinking, but it’s easier than you might think!*
Remember this advice, and don’t let stress take over your week! If you have additional insight, we invite you to leave a comment below!
*Jessica Stillman, Inc. Magazine, March 18, 2013, http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/cant-remove-your-stress-rethink-it.html
Easy Ways to De-Stress Your Week
