Five Methods for Dealing With Stress at Work

While carrying out our daily tasks, whether it be at home or work, we all endure a certain amount of stress physically and emotionally. Everything doesn’t always go as planned. Mistakes happen. Emergencies arise. Therefore, we have no choice but to adapt to the situations regardless, and in doing so, we find ourselves engulfed in a completely spontaneous and sometimes very stressful situation. Some confess they function at their best when things get stressful. In fact, they admit it is found to be quite exhilarating. But for many others, stress can have very serious effects.  Here are five helpful methods that can help buffer the effect stress has while at work and can help you to keep a healthy perspective:

1.Get the right amount of sleep each night

Make sure you are sleeping enough so that you are not tired when you get to work. Most commonly, adults don’t get enough sleep at night. Experiment and see how much sleep you need that makes you feel the best. Stressful situations are less likely to overwhelm you. And, when we are tired, we tend to be cranky and more anxious.

2. Breathing

Periodically, inhale long, deep and slow breaths and exhale slowly. This will help deliver more oxygen to your bloodstream and will slow your heart rate, which is elevated while in stressful situations. You can make better decisions when you are calm and your brain is fully oxygenated.

3. Take care of yourself physically

Try to stay away from processed foods and avoid excessive amounts of caffeine. Make it a point to stay active. Go for walks, ride bikes, swim, etc. These types of activities can really help reduce your anxieties and release stress.

4. Tackle your problems

Identify WHAT stresses you and TACKLE those stress points. Write them down, while identifying how they make you feel, and develop a plan of action to help avoid the same situation in the future. Don’t feel that you have no control over it because you do!

5.  Don’t panic if something does not go as planned

Handle your daily tasks at work with a healthy stride. Remember, we are human. Most importantly, when mistakes happen at work or when things don’t go as planned, try to keep everything in perspective. Mistakes will always deliver something very valuable to us all. Try to view them as good lessons for yourself and others to learn from.

 Written by Sherry Moore Director of Mystery Shopping Services for The Training Factor