How to cope with workplace stress.
Most of us have experienced stress at work. A must-do request that arrives without warning. Too many emails stacking up in your inbox. Phones ringing, too many meetings scheduled or a colleague who is dropping the ball.
Signs of being overwhelmed by stress in your job are being:
irritable, impatient or wound up
over-burdened
worried, anxious or nervous
your thoughts are racing and you can't switch off
finding it hard to concentrate or make decisions
unable to enjoy yourself
tense and tired
restless or panicked.
Often our personalities or perceptions lead into the way we identify stress and how we cope with it. Sometimes addressing our own internal issues can help us combat and cope with these external ones. Your personality traits might be:
· Introverted/Extroverted?
· Judger/Perceiver?
· Intuitive/Sensor?
· Thinker/Feeler?
So how do we work with that?
Some tips for coping with stress at work:
1. Identify what it is that is causing you the most stress and limit it. For example some people are effected by noise and light, while others feel stressed when they feel isolated. It may be that a certain person at work is making you feel overwhelmed and perhaps you can limit your time around them.
2. Identify ways of making your tasks seem more manageable or organised. This can be different things for different people. Eg. Lists, Apps and Calendars. Sometimes a visual display can be rewarding when you realise your list of tasks is not that long and you are getting through them.
3. Remove distractions and reward yourself with enjoyable breaks. Make sure that you use the time when you are working well by avoiding people or things that distract you or lead to procrastination, for example social media and answering emails too often. Then reward yourself by taking your scheduled breaks and making sure you totally unwind during that time. For some of us this might not be our lunch break but could be before working or finishing early.
4. Choose foods that will restore your energy and not make your feel sluggish. When stressed, you can crave sugary snacks or comfort foods and it’s ok to indulge in those from time to time. But be sure that your body gets what it needs to perform at its best by choosing healthy lunches and snacks. Fatty and sugary foods may give you a quick lift but will often linger and drag you down.
5. Set your work boundaries. Make sure you do not take your stress home and burden yourself too much after hours unnecessarily. Sometimes it can help to write things down and make a note to address it the next day. It is often important in making good decisions that you feel fresh and rested.
6. Establish good working relationships and be passionate about your work. It is easy to feel stressed about your job when you do not enjoy it. So make an effort to ensure that what you do is something your passionate about. If you’re having trouble finding ways to get enthusiastic about your work or your work colleagues it may be time to move on or seek some guidance.
For your own specialised solutions to workspace/place stress, contact Julia, she can establish exactly what is holding you back from workplace satisfaction when even you think you cannot identify it. Book Online
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