Most of us can probably relate to having experienced job-related stress at some point in our working lives. Even if you love your job, it's hard to find a job that doesn't involve stressful moments from time to time. It's easy to feel stress when a deadline is approaching or when you have to perform a challenging task. However, if you feel constant stress, this can very quickly lead to low energy levels, difficulty performing even simple tasks and affect both your physical and mental health for the worse.
Stress is a natural reaction when we feel pressure, so thinking that you should eliminate stressful moments from your working life completely is unfortunately not realistic. You can, however, learn to deal with stressful situations and your reactions in a much better way. Below we list some tips on how to deal with stress at work.
1. Track your stressors.
A good way to identify exactly which situations cause stress in your work environment is to keep a diary for a few weeks. Record your thoughts, feelings and information about, for example, the environment or the people involved. Also write down how you reacted in this situation. Did you raise your voice? Did you go outside for air? Documenting this will help you find patterns in what triggers stress in you and how you react in stressful situations. Using this information, you will be able to find ways to respond to stress without it triggering other bad behaviors.
2. Set limits.
In today's digital world, it's easy to feel that you should be available 24/7. Set clear boundaries for your working life, for example, you can decide not to check or reply to emails after working hours. We all have different preferences when it comes to how much we want to combine work and private life. However, setting clear boundaries can help you minimise the stress that can easily arise from letting work follow you home.
3. Talk to your superior.
Productivity is linked to well-being, so creating a healthy working environment should be a priority for all managers. If you feel undue stress, dare to tell your boss! The aim is not for you to sit down and start listing a long list of complaints, but for you to come up with an effective plan together to counteract the stressors you have identified. This will help you to both perform and feel good in your workplace. For example, you could ask your manager to clarify exactly what is expected of you, to allow you to take time off work, or to explain if there are things that could be changed in your working environment to make you more comfortable and less stressed.
4. Take the time to recharge your batteries.
To avoid the negative effects of chronic stress and burnout, we all need time to unwind. This time requires that you can completely let go of your job. Therefore, be sure to use your vacation days and don't let them go to waste. Allow yourself to relax and let go of all the musts. Not able to take time off? Make sure you prioritise time when you completely put away both your computer and your mobile phone. Instead, focus on an activity that has nothing whatsoever to do with your job.
It is important to allow yourself to feel. Maybe the same tasks in another place wouldn't have been as stressful? Sometimes the solution can be as simple as needing a change of scenery and testing your wings in a different workplace. At Multimind, we're here for you if you feel it's time to take the next step in your career. Here you can find all our vacancies!