5 Ways to Reduce Stress at Your Desk
It lurks in the shadows, clogs your mind with nonsense, and sacks your concentration at work; stress is no joke. Here are 5 ways you can reduce your stress levels at work.
By mporter on January 14, 2020
By: Madeleine Porter
It lurks in the shadows, clogs your mind with nonsense, and sacks your concentration at work; stress is no joke. Countless studies have been conducted proving how stress can negatively affect your health.
Unfortunately, it is hard for many to find a low-stress job because every job out there comes with its own set of stressors. So an alternative to that could be to adopt tactics to help you cope with stress while at work. Here are some stress management options:
1. Start your day off right
Mornings can be almost unbearably busy at times. Between getting yourself ready for work and the kids ready for school, many people go into work already stressed. It’s important to develop a morning routine to ensure more stability giving you less unexpected events.
2. Be clear on what’s required of you
If you don’t know what is expected of you or your role keeps changing without notice, then you may find yourself a little more stressed than usual. With more clarity of what your role entails, you can better organize yourself for the day.
3. Eliminate interruptions
Emails, phone calls, meetings, oh my! All of those, and much more, contribute to the distractions of today’s workers. Though you have no control over when these events occur, you can control your response time. Diagnose each interruption with its urgency and importance, then react. If its something that can wait an hour or two, you can consider responding then instead of dropping everything else you were already working on.
4. Keep perfectionism in check
Ensuring you have presented your best work is one thing but obsessively trying to perfect your work is another. In busy, fast-paced jobs you may not have every opportunity to present “perfect” work. Perfectionism will rob you of your time and peace of mind. Encourage yourself to just do your best and you will find a less stressful life ahead of you.
5. Remember to breath
If you are feeling overwhelmed, a little out of control, or foggy, remember to take a deep breath. By breathing deeply it allows you to tap into one of the body’s self-healing mechanisms. Deep breathing is a good stress reliever because you can do it anywhere at any time and let your worries go. Just a few minutes can restore balance and order.
