4 Ways To Cope If You’re Stressed Out At Work

Big projects. Looming deadlines. Your boss springing last-minute changes on you. Budgets to manage. Peoples’ jobs on the line. Peoples’ health, well-being or livelihood resting squarely on your shoulders. Argh! No matter what you do for a living, there are always going to be workplace demands, pressures, and situations that test your patience. So how about being incredibly generous to yourself, and employing these strategies to help you manage stress more effectively?

1. Be present

When you’re feeling stressed, it’s generally because you’ve temporarily left the present moment. You are worrying about the future or obsessing about the past. Don’t leave this moment. Stay right where you are. Yes, of course, there are times where we all need to think about the future. But there’s a difference between thoughtful planning and flat out worrying. Trust that you can handle whatever is happening, gracefully. Be here now.

2. Surround yourself with positive reminders

Change the storyline by surrounding yourself with reminders of your strength and value. You could choose a desktop wallpaper design for your computer that motivates and inspires you. You could play uplifting music through your headphones. You could put a photo of one of your personal heroes – a motivational speaker, a mentor, a favourite athlete – by your desk.  Or write your favourite positive affirmation on a post-it note and place it near your desk. Perhaps this one:

There is nothing I cannot handle. Nothing I cannot overcome. The strength inside of me is greater than anything happening around me.

3. Taking regular breaks from your desk

It’s a known fact that regular exercise is a powerful stress reliever, even if it feels like just another duty some days. Any form of aerobic exercise – increasing your heart rate and making you sweat increases energy, clears thinking, and relaxes mind and body. Even something as small as walking across the office to speak to your boss rather than sending that email will get your limbs moving and ease your stress levels.

4. Breathe

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or are coming out of a tense meeting and need to clear your head, a few minutes of deep breathing will restore balance. Simply inhale for five seconds, hold and exhale in equal counts through the nose. Visualise your happy place. Maybe it’s a tropical beach or your childhood bedroom. Whatever the location, close your eyes and conjure up the image. Got it?

By Jennifer Conway.

• office life
• Stress
• work