Americans who are stressed at work is high — research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health shows that 29 to 40% of Americans report being “extremely stressed at work.” Work stress can significantly impact your general health in ways such as getting more colds and flus, heart disease, and depression. With the ongoing pandemic, it’s especially important to observe your stress levels and attempt to monitor them.
Here are six simple ways to manage your stress at work:
1.) Make Sure Your Daily Goals/Requirements Are Clear
Make sure you have connected with your supervisor, team, and direct reports so that you have a clear understanding of what your tasks for the day are. This will help you prioritize and avoid burnout. If your role and requirements keep changing, you’re likely to get stressed, so make sure you are talking with your boss if you feel that way.
2.) Be Comfortable
Maybe you’re sitting at your desk weirdly, or you have an itchy shirt on. Making sure you’re physically comfortable can do wonders for your stress level. Make sure the clothing you’re wearing is comfortable. Get headphones and listen to soothing music to keep yourself from getting distracted by office noises. Make sure your chair is supportive and your desk is at the right height. Being comfortable during your daily tasks will help lower stress.
3.) Make Lists
Or do whatever you need to do to keep yourself organized throughout the day. Making lists is a great way to stay on top of tasks and also gives you less anxiety because you have your reminders all written out in front of you. Keeping yourself organized and decluttered mentally can do wonders for stress and make you more efficient in your work.
4.) Exercise or Go For Walks At Lunch
Movement is so important for stress-relief. Going for a walk at lunch, doing chair yoga, or working in some kind of exercise program while you’re at the office can really help because those endorphins will improve your emotional and mental quality of life. Your mood will improve and the physical release will dispel some of your anxieties as well.
5.) Take Breaks
Sitting for 8 hours a day and staring at a computer screen isn’t that great for your health. Make sure you are taking breaks. Every 20 minutes look away from your screen and stare at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to help your eyes. Take proper bathroom breaks and make sure to stay hydrated and fed properly. All this will monumentally help with stress.
6.) Don’t Multitask
Multitasking isn’t the best use of your time. In fact, studies have shown that multitasking can decrease your productivity and hurt your work ethic, while also making you feel frazzled and stressed. Focus on one task at a time and don’t try to juggle many things. Instead, use your list from earlier to break your day down into chunks of time you can dedicate to different tasks.
