Solutions for Workplace Stress

In today's busy workplace, people are more stressed than ever: bombarding emails, relentless phone calls, time-constrained projects, and numerous scheduled meetings. Eventually, this everyday routine takes a toll on people physically and mentally, so it's time to seek solutions for workplace stress.

How Does Workplace Stress Affect One's Mind and Body?

It's one thing to experience workplace stress from time to time. Still, when it becomes an everyday and long-term endeavour, it can lead to over-exhaustion and mental burnout and eventually become anxiety and depression.

High-stress levels can also lead to poor physical health, such as cardiovascular issues, lower immune system, and a higher susceptibility to various other diseases. People are also less apt to have time for exercise, eat healthily, and practice a consistent sleep regimen, leading to more physical issues. So, what happens to our minds and bodies when we are constantly in stress mode?

When stressed or faced with a threat, the amygdala, a part of the brain, sends a warning signal to the hypothalamus, which regulates the heart rate and body temperature. The hypothalamus triggers your nervous system and produces adrenaline to prepare you for a particular situation. Once the stress is over, your nervous system remains alert for some time, releasing a stress hormone called cortisol, which essentially diminishes. However, this sensation lasts longer and negatively impacts our minds and body in highly stressed individuals.

Workplace Stress Triggers

Although work is often a source of stress, it is essential to identify the source of your triggers to better cope. Taking inventory can help you to lead a more effective and balanced life. So, let's look at some triggers.

Some stress triggers may include:

• More sensitive to situations and events that might not bother others

• One's emotions or personality causes them to be less tolerant of stress

• The fear of losing one's job

• Uncertainty about the future

• Feeling a loss of control in decisions

• Long work hours

• Uncomfortable workplace environment

• Trying to balance work and family life

• Learning new and unfamiliar skills

• Overbearing management

Ways to Reduce Workplace Stress

When we take on too much stress, we often lose perspective and stop taking better care of ourselves. Therefore, it's important to step back, reevaluate your situation, and learn new ways to cope more effectively.

Some ways to take better care of yourself may include:

1. Take breaks when you can

We can only work on empty for so long before we plummet. Therefore, if you work non-stop all day without taking any breaks, it will eventually deplete every cell in your body. So, allow your mind and body some time to refresh by taking a short walk before work, during your lunch break, or talking with colleagues. Exercise is key in helping the mind reset. In addition, don't let your vacation time roll over to the next year or run out, but take them while you can.

2. Prepare ahead for the day

Our mornings often consist of juggling kids, fighting to get into the bathroom, school drop-offs, and then dealing with traffic in the morning. Meanwhile, by the time we get to work, we are overwhelmed, which makes it more challenging to be productive. Therefore, try and start your day earlier, take your clothes out, and have the family help make their school lunches the night before, take showers at night, and bring a healthy to-go work meal with you.

3. Take care of your health

It isn't always easy to make time for activity, but taking good care of yourself is beneficial because, without it, it will only add to your stress. Therefore, exercise, eat healthy-balanced meals, and try to get yourself on a better sleep regimen the best you can. In addition, take time out to relax through meditation, watching a tv show, taking a nice hot bath, or doing whatever works best for you.

4. Unplug from work

With the advancement of technology, it makes it all too easy not to unplug. Therefore, it becomes a problem when we can't leave our work at work. So, unless you're on call or your job requires you to do some work at home, try to distance yourself from your phone, ignore emails when you can, and stay clear of checking your work on your computer. A constant connection to social media can also prevent your mind from unplugging.

5. Let go of perfectionism

Of course, we need to do our work accurately and be timely, but when we are too perfectionistic, it can lead to more mistakes and leave us with less time to better care for ourselves. Therefore, we need to be able to let go of some of that perfectionism to prevent any further health issues.

Know When to Seek Counselling

Sometimes we may still struggle with workplace stress or burnout, even if we're doing all the right things to care for our health. Therefore, it is never too early to seek counselling.

Receiving therapy from a workplace stress specialist can help you learn how to balance, prioritize, and achieve a life with much less stress.