Keep Calm and Carry on – 7 top tips that will help you sail through the day.
We all get stressed at work. The tight deadline to meet, the grumpy customer, the computer that keeps crashing. And why does the vending machine refuse to accept your pound coin?!
What’s more, it all adds up and often leaves us in a very negative state of mind at work. But fear not, here are some great tips to help you stay positive when dealing with workplace stress…
- Learn how to manage your time wisely – Make sure to take time in the day to make a list of your priorities. Many people waste time when feeling stressed, so by creating a list it will enable you to organise your jobs and get tasks done.
- Have a healthy diet and exercise – Exercise has been proven to reduce stress. A good amount of sleep and a healthy diet helps the body cope and become more resilient. This is one reason why a healthy lifestyle is so important. Go for a walk at lunchtime or on your way to and from work.
- Socialise with friends – Friends often provide a sense of comfort when stressed and can also help you relax. A good laugh with your mates can boost your immune system, which is often affected during stressful times. Meet up with a friend after a busy week at work.
- Try and see things in a positive light – If you find yourself with a problem, or if something is concerning you, talk about it with someone you feel you can trust. If you feel you don’t have a person like this then you can always seek professional help. Most workplaces have an Employee assistant programme that offers support. Ask your manager or HR assistant.
- Cut out caffeine, alcohol and nicotine as coping mechanisms – In the long term, these mechanisms are only going to add to your problems. Drugs and alcohol affect the body, making it react with a stress response. Alcohol is also a depressant, which again will trigger stress and even depression. Keep a bottle of water on your desk and sip through it as you work.
- Don’t take on too much – If you take on loads of work because you don’t like saying no, or don’t want to let people down, this can seriously increase stress levels. Therefore this tip requires you to learn to become more assertive. This allows you to say no and understand that by doing so it will not offend others. If you have too much at work, speak to your manager about reviewing your workload.
- Avoid conflicts – Try and mellow yourself when you find that you are becoming aggressive. Ask yourself questions like “what are the possible effects of my outburst?” Then seek a resolution in order to prevent the stress from developing. Your resolution might be walking away from the situation, breathing in and out or even counting down from 10. Then ask yourself what the real problem was and how you can deal with it.
So there you go, just 7 simple tips to help you manage your stress in the workplace. Check out our Managers Managing Stress course for more expert guidance that will help you and your team stay stress-free and become more productive.
Hansa Pankhania is a Fellow of the International Stress Management Association and has worked with over 100 companies nationally to promote the natural wellbeing message.
She is the Author of 3 books:
‘From Stress to Success– Five inspirational stories of overcoming workplace stress’
‘Stress to Success for Managers and Employees- A dynamic programme for total wellbeing‘
‘Stress to Success Stories- to inspire managers and employees to excel.’