A study by stress.org reveals that job stress is the main cause of stress in individuals who are working full-time, part-time or self-employed. The stress also goes on to trigger other health disorders such as heart diseases, obesity, hypertension, etc.
What is Stress?
Stress is a response your body triggers to an external or internal situation. When your body is under stress, it releases certain chemicals which make you anxious, angry, sacred or sweaty or even frustrated. Stress is a natural phenomenon and our body is designed to respond in that manner. However, with workload pressure, extended timelines, a need to strike a balance between work and life, meeting the financial obligation, stress has started severely impacting personal lives. Therefore, we need to take a look into various ways of beating stress and perform better at the workplace.
11 Ways to Survive Workplace Stress
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Take Better Care of Yourself:
A healthy mind and body are a great combination to fight any diseases and negative emotions. You can achieve it with an apt workout, healthy food, and proper sleep. Therefore, make sure to workout – aerobics, running, walking, swimming yoga or whatever mode of exercise you love. Make sure to practice is daily at least for 15 minutes. Along with workout, eat healthy and sufficient food. If you are one of those individuals who skip breakfast to attend the morning call or delay lunch for the presentation, you are more prone to stress. Additionally, you need to make sure to get a good night’s sleep, put your smartphone on silent mode, read a book or maybe some family time and then go into hibernation, just to wake up fresh and positive next morning.
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Take Ten Minutes to Yourself:
In a busy schedule, make sure to book a slot of ten minutes to yourself. Ask yourself if your actions were justifiable or were there any situation that could have been handled more aptly? Self-introspection helps a lot of individuals in accepting themselves and getting ready to face the public.
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Take a Deep Breath:
Deep breath scientifically have been proven to a stress buster. Therefore, next time when you find yourself in a tight situation, take a deep breath, maybe five deep breaths. Deep breathing relaxes your body and also diverts your attention from the distraction. So practice it, not just in a critical situation but regularly.
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Get a priority List of Tasks:
People mostly pick tasks based on their interest. If you like drafting documents, then you are more inclined to pick that first. However, it will be more beneficial for you to follow a priority list.. It would help you in lessening the burden of last minute delivery and causing stress.
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A Network Outside your Working Group is Essential:
You should try and form a group outside of your work group. A hang out for coffee, or monthly lunch could be a quick way to catch up. This helps in breaking out from your immediate circle. A moral support, or a quick break from the routine job and people is a quick way to beat stress and recharge your battery.
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Learn to Delegate:
If you are in a position where you can delegate, try delegating the tasks that you may not able to wrap up because you already have enough on your plate. Delegation also helps in nurturing young talent.
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Scheduling Your Day and Focus:
A planned day is a great way to start off your day; it helps to plan what needs to be delivered today, your meetings – whether you are ready with the agenda and keynotes to be discussed at the meeting. Doing your homework is also necessary, so make sure to give some time to these tasks as well.
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Saying No in a Polite Manner:
If you are able to provide exact stats and data, which indicates that you are already overworked for the current week or month, no one would pressurize you to work on another project.
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Complete Your Task and Never Be in Bad Books:
Being under a lot of pressure does not give you right to speak rudely with your colleagues or not complete your tasks on time. One bad move is enough to spoil your career.
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Communicate Your Issues:
It is very important to communicate your issues and problems with your superiors beforehand. Therefore, you need to flag an issue whenever you are getting overloaded or you need more time. It is the best way to avoid the stress and pressure of delivering promptly.
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Always have a Plan B:
Never go with the ideal scenario that the road would be smooth ahead, and there would not be any potholes or jerky speed breakers. Have a plan B for your tasks and at a personal level.
Stress is no more that than a response to an action or trigger from the outside world. If we mold ourselves smartly, it is hard to get stressed and it is very much possible to lead a healthy and happy life.
