How Do You Deal with Work Stress?

While some workplace stress is normal, excessive stress can interfere with your productivity and impact your physical and emotional health. How you deal with stress can mean the difference between success or failure.

Finding ways to manage workplace stress isn’t about making huge changes or rethinking career ambitions, but more of a frame of thinking about the one thing that’s always within your control: you! Here are some tips from PrideStaff Financial on how to deal with work stress.

1. Recognize the Symptoms.
When you feel overwhelmed at work, you lose confidence in your ability to get things done. Feeling less productive and less effective in your job can make work seem less rewarding. If you start to feel anxious, irritable, fatigued, deal with stomach issues, have trouble sleeping, or trouble concentrating, these may all be signs that you are dealing with excessive work stress.

2. Take Responsibility.
Managing job stress starts by taking responsibility for your symptoms and recognizing that the stress is there. Stress does not disappear overnight and will not go away because you tell it to. You need to take responsibility for improving your own physical and emotional well-being. A good place to start is by moving around. Physical exercise, no matter how small, can have a huge impact on how you feel at work. Get up and stretch during the day, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to lunch (if feasible). These minor changes will increase your heart rate, making you more alert, energized, and relax both your body and mind.

3. Avoid Pitfalls.
Identifying knee-jerk reactions and negative attitudes can help you zero in on what behaviors and habits you need to change in dealing with work-related “crisis” or obstacles. Start by creating a balanced schedule of responsibilities and daily tasks. Then work in family life, social activities, downtime, and solitary pursuits. Next, identify where you are over-committing yourself. Avoid scheduling things back to back, or trying to fit too much into one day. By distinguishing between “shoulds” and “musts,” you will start to create a more balanced schedule and avoid the overwhelmed feeling that usually leads to those knee-jerk reactions.

4. Learn to communicate.
Most stress circles back to a lack of communication. Learning to communicate better with colleagues and management will create healthy dialogue and reduce those “crisis” situations that often lead to job stress. Also, learn where you can delegate responsibility (if necessary), and be willing to compromise.

Remember, it’s impossible to get everything done. Learning to identify and handle stress can go a long way in how productive and energized you feel at work. In return, reducing stress has shown to increase physical health.

PrideStaff Financial understands the importance of maintaining a healthy attitude toward your work! Our financial career consultants have the tools and expertise to help you be the best you can be.