Feeling overwhelmed? How to handle Stress at work
A little stress can help us feel energised and focused on getting things done. But long-term stressful situations, especially at work, can impact our physical and mental well-being.
What’s the difference between stress and anxiety? Stress tends to be triggered by something external, while anxiety is a feeling of fear or worry. The two are closely related as feeling anxious increases stress levels.
I’m a naturally anxious person who can experience stress quite easily! So, if you’re like me, it’s worth finding an approach or a combination of strategies to avoid the negative impacts on health and wellness.
As much as possible I prioritise my self-care and find physical exercise helpful. Yoga classes and sound baths completely relax me, as well as taking regular breaks away from the computer and phone.
To avoid the negative impacts of stress, particularly if it’s an ongoing situation, it can be helpful to talk to colleagues, friends or a coach to discuss ways to alleviate the pressure you might be feeling and experiencing.
Setting boundaries to avoid taking on additional tasks will protect your personal time and help avoid over-committing yourself. This is really important if you’re someone who finds it hard to say no, in case you disappoint others.
Many of us have lots of demands on our time, however multitasking leads to increased stress levels and decreases our productivity. In the book The One Thing, by Garry Keller with Jay Papasan, a chapter is devoted to multitasking and its impact on work and relationships. As they write, “multi-taskers experience more life-reducing, happiness squelching stress”
It’s tempting when we feel stressed to reach for comfort food, but unfortunately this contributes to a low mood. Whereas, a healthy lifestyle, including exercise and sleep can improve our resilience to stress.
Can you identify your stress triggers and develop coping strategies to manage them? These might include deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, or journaling.
There are lots of different approaches to stress management which might take a little trial and error to see what works.
If you’d like support contact me for an exploratory conversation …
