Do you feel unhappy at work? Do you lose sleep over work stress? You’re not alone. According to a recent NIOSH Report, 40% of employees reported that their job was very stressful. Additionally, 25% viewed their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives. Here are a few tips to reduce stress while at work.
- If you’re feeling stress, take three to five slow deep breaths. Concentrate on pushing air out of your lungs when you exhale. This breathing method improves stress immediately.
- Sit down while eating and eat in the company kitchen if possible. Do you eat on the way to work? Do you eat while working at your desk? Stop! Focus on relaxing and talk with colleagues while eating. You can ignore your coworkers if they focus on gossiping.
- Listen to enjoyable music/podcasts on the way to work. During your drive or commute to work, put your headphones on and listen to something enjoyable. Look for motivating podcasts and/or audiobooks. Listen to your favourite music as well!
- Focus on the moment. Live today as if it were your last day. This can be tricky but if you really focus on it, this can drastically improve your mood.
- If you receive a negative email, don’t immediately respond. Most Americans obsessively check and respond to work email. In fact, the average worker spends 28% of their workday checking email. A 2013 survey found that 81% of Americans check their work email while away from work.
- Change your stress perspective. Your body releases hormones like cortisol and epinephrine when it feels stress. This process actually makes your body become faster and stronger. Continued stress is unhealthy as long-term exposure to these hormones can trigger numerous health problems. Instead, you have to work on your relaxation response. This can include exercise, journaling, gardening, meditation and yoga.
Numerous studies indicate that job stress is a major source of stress for most Americans. Increased stress can lead to a greater chance of suffering heart attacks, hypertension and other detrimental disorders. The above tips are meant to stop your stress, increase your happiness and help improve your work performance. Do you have any tips to share? Please feel free to share them in the comments section below.
