5 Ways to Manage Stress at work
The expectations of your boss, coworkers, and job are seriously stressing you out and you are reaching your limit. In this article, read a registered therapist’s five ways to take five minutes to manage your stress at work and find calm and peace within yourself.
Why do we experience so much stress AT our jobs?
The answer to this question of course depends on the type of work that you do. Do you work in hospitality? Fast-paced environments with very little to no breaks during peak service time, plus navigating the social dynamics of guests, managers and fellow employees can easily lead to burnout. Do you work in retail? Long hours and unpredictable experiences with customers can become overwhelming. Are you a nanny? Managing familial expectations and maintaining boundaries in such a personal environment can be difficult, not to mention dealing with kiddos’ meltdowns, disciplinary issues, and helping meet their basic needs. Are you a teacher? A lack of resources, large classroom sizes, many hours spent grading, and dealing with difficult children and parents can take a toll. Do you work in an office? Demanding deadlines and the pressure of unmet expectations can lead you to feel like you aren’t good enough and can mess with your self-esteem. Regardless of the position you are in, stress at work can be unavoidable. Here are some ways to manage stress when you feel like you are going to explode.
5 ways to manage your stress at work
Notice Where The Stress is LIVing
Take a second and check in with your body. Where are the stress and tension living? Is your throat tight? Is your chest heavy? Do you have a pounding headache? Is your jaw clenched? try to relax the area you identify as stress’ homebase within your body.
Breathe
Ah, the cliché “just breathe.” but breathing is so, so helpful! it activates the parasympathetic nervous system which tells your body it is not in danger and doesn’t need to activate your fight-or-flight stress response any longer. Square breathing is a breathing exercise that is easy to remember. breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, and repeat until you notice your heart rate slow down. (If you get distracted counting for yourself, click here for a square breathing YouTube video and follow along!)
Acknowledge your Limits
You are only human and your best is good enough. With that in mind, the support of a loved one or a teammate can help us re-center when we reach the end of ourselves as Stress can limit our capacity to think clearly and problem solve. Is there someone you can text or call for a moment? Tell them how overwhelmed you feel. Share where in your body you feel tension. Make sure to let them know what you need from them. Do you want them to problem solve with you? Do you need another set of eyes on this situation? Do you want them to count for you so you can do the square breathing exercise described above? Or do you simply need to be validated and listened to? Maybe you feel stuck and don’t even know what you need. You can share that as well! (Maybe they can give you a couple of options to choose between!)
Engage Your Senses
Ground yourself by using your senses to engage in mindfulness. What is the color that soothes you most? Let’s say it’s blue. Notice what around you has blue and Notice what shade of blue it is. Now tune into your sense of sound. What noises can you hear? “Nothing!” You may answer quickly. But take a moment and really listen to your environment. Do you hear the air conditioning unit kicking on? Does the stillness around you have a noise? Can you hear a car honk from far away? Someone laughing? Now engage your sense of touch. Pick up or reach out to something around you and notice what it feels like. Is it smooth? Scratchy? Furry? Rough? You can also engage your senses of taste and smell. Is there a candle on your desk? Pick it up and take a moment to inhale and notice the various scent profiles. Do you have gum in your purse? Notice what flavors the gum has. Engaging your senses can bring you back into your body and help you relax, even in the midst of stress.
use your imagination
Your imagination holds a lot of power. Close your eyes and imagine yourself confidently navigating the problems at hand. Visualize yourself enforcing boundaries with a boss or manager with self-assuredness. Picture yourself handling the situation you are worried about in a calm, measured way. imagine yourself at home tonight, eating dinner with a loved one or watching your favorite movie, far away from the moment that is currently stressing you out.
learn more
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/stress-coping-eliminate#1--5:-five-minutes-or-less
https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/stress/quick-stress-relief
https://www.calm.com/blog/visualization-meditation
Contact
Click here to get in touch with me and learn more about my therapy services for managing stress at work and anxiety in general!