Dealing with Job Stress

In last week’s article, we highlighted the top 10 signs of job related stress which not only affect a person’s performance at work but also has a negative impact on his physical and mental health. Many readers requested that we also share the ways to deal with this job related stress effectively. There are a lot of methods and techniques which when adopted by the employees can reduce the stress to a great level and improve the overall performance.

Stress management is the key to long term career success and professional growth. When an employee is stressed out, he or she cannot perform to the best of his capabilities, and in the end, the frustration of failure leads to a burnt out very early in life. Once you have identified the symptoms of stress appearing in your everyday life, it is time to address the problem and try out the various techniques mentioned in this article to eliminate stress from your daily routine.

Useful Tips for Eliminating Job Stress:

Some of the very basic but effective methods for reducing your job related stress and avoiding a burn out in your professional life are mentioned below:

Find the Balance:

One of the most effective methods for dealing with job related stress is to find the balance between work and personal life. When employees get too much absorbed into work and start ignoring their family life, the stress level automatically increases. The best way to find a balance between work and family life is to make sure that you finish your assignments and tasks on time. If you have time management issues, there are several ways to be more effective in time management and have been discussed in the previous articles printed in Editor’s Choice.

Avoid Late Sittings:

While it is true that one might be required to put in long hours at work occasionally, make sure that you do not make it a regular habit. Late sittings might help in getting more work done in the beginning but after a while, the work starts to drag and you do not achieve as much output as you would have hoped for, owing to the increase in stress level. So try to finish your work within reasonable hours so that you can make some time for personal life and activities which help in draining the stress from your life.

Take a Break:

Taking a short break during the working hours is immensely important if you are planning on leading a stress free professional life. You should take at least 2 breaks of 5 to 10 minutes during the working hours to stretch your legs, walk around, talk to a colleague who is also on his break etc. Many companies and managers encourage the staff to take two breaks during the work day to enhance their productivity and relieve stress.

Organize Your Desk:

One of the major causes of stress in the professional life is that employees are often unorganized and fail to keep a track of important files and might even miss a deadline due to lack of planning. You need to avoid cluttering your work desk with useless information and arrange all things in an organized manner so that you do not have to search frantically for a file or folder when you need it. If you are organized you have a hold on the important work related things and you avoid being stressed out on a regular basis. By creating a task list and constantly updating it by crossing out the finished assignments and adding new ones, you can achieve a high degree of professional success.

Keep Yourself Hydrated:

Dehydration is not only bad for your health but it also increases the stress level of an individual. Many employees drink coffee and tea to boost their energy level in the morning but ignore to drink water. The high intake of caffeine dehydrates you and lack of water intake can reduce your productivity to a great extent. Make sure that you have a water bottle at your desk and you drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water in a day. Just changing the amount of water intake will do wonders for your stress level.

Seek Help:

Most of the times, when an employee is stressed out it is because he is either unable to handle the work pressure or is having trouble comprehending the tasks at hand. If you are getting stuck somewhere, it is better to ask for help rather than frustrating yourself with repeated failures. Even if you cannot go to your immediate supervisor about a problem, you can ask one of your coworkers or seniors to help you with a certain problem. This not only reduces your stress level considerably but also helps you in bonding with the coworkers.

Personalize Your Cubicle:

Working in a cubicle for 8 hours straight can sometimes be stressful for the employees as the homogeneous environment is often depressing and brings the productivity level down. You can always personalize your cubicle and work desk to make it look good and create a positive environment. Putting a small plant on your desk can boost your productivity to a great level and create a natural environment while providing your desk with fresh oxygen all day. You can also put family pictures on your desk and hand some random ornaments which are your favorite and can help in boosting your morale by reducing stress.

Talk to your Friends:

There are many days when you feel that your office life is not working out well or you might mess up an assignment and have to face the wrath of the superiors. You cannot talk about it at work as it might constitute to complaining or gossiping but you can always discuss such issues with your friends out of work, over a cup of tea in the evening. Venting your feelings and talking about your rough day can help in making you feel better and reduce your job related stress.

Regards

Raheel Ahmed Khan