5 Simple Ways to Manage Stress at Work
It’s no secret that stress can absolutely kill your productivity.
Stress drains you of all your energy, sacks your concentration and makes you second guess every decision that you try to make.
But I don’t have to tell you that, you go through this every single day.
Waking up feeling drained wishing you had just a few more minutes to get some more sleep.
Dreading the fact that you have to go into work today. Feeling unmotivated, counting down the seconds until you can go home and relax.
Unfortunately, you can’t. You have to get your work done. But for some reason, you just can’t seem to concentrate.
Your coworkers are getting on your very last nerves and every single thing at that office just seems to irritate you.
In this blog post, I am going to talk about 5 amazingly simple ways to help you manage your stress so that you will feel less irritated and get more work done at the office.
Let’s Get Right Into It!
Start Your Morning Off on The Right Foot
A good morning routine, in my opinion, is the key to having a happy and productive day.
As I stated in my previous blog post (you can read that here)
The first hour of your day can have either a positive or a negative impact depending on how you spend your waking moments.
If you wake up 5 minutes before it’s time to go to work, rushing trying to get yourself organized,
grabbing whatever you can find to snack on before you get to work (or worse, not eating anything at all).
Only to hit traffic on your way there.
It’s no wonder you are already stressed out and irritated by the time you get to your desk.
However, if you instead wake up an hour before it’s time to leave, get a 5-minute meditation session in, cook a nice and healthy breakfast with a warm cup of coffee.
(Check out my blog post on the 5 simple things you can do every morning to live a happier life here)
You have more time to plan out your morning. You can check to see how traffic is that morning and take the streets to work.
You can see if the weather has changed since you last checked. If it is hotter than expected you may not need that jacket. (Unless your office usually has the A/C on full blast then maybe you do)
This all happens by waking up just an hour before its time to go to work.
It’s all just a matter of doing it.
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Waking up with enough time to make a nice and healthy breakfast is essential to your overall well-being.
Eating a good breakfast before you go to work provides your body with the energy and mental focus you need to be able to perform at your best.
Having breakfast also stops you from being easily irritated.
It’s no secret that when you’re hungry, you get cranky. This then affects your mood and those around you.
You can’t think straight because all you’re really thinking about is getting some food so your stomach can stop rumbling.
Eating a nice and nutritious breakfast helps you work longer and more efficiently before your next meal.
Get Plenty of Rest
Your mind and body need more rest than what you’re giving it.
We constantly try to push ourselves to the limit, not caring about getting the right amount of sleep to be able to perform at our best.
I cannot stress this enough just how important it is for you to give your body some well-deserved rest.
If you’re constantly tossing and turning at night. Or if your mind is racing keeping you from falling asleep, may I suggest checking out my blog post on the ultimate bedtime routine to help you relax and unwind for bed.
Act Instead of Reacting
It pays to be in control.
However, it also pays to be able to let go of the things that are out of your control.
You can’t control every single thing that happens, but you can anticipate certain situations which may then help you manage them better.
Anticipating certain situations and going into work with a plan can help you be better prepared for certain outcomes.
This then minimizes your chance of being caught off guard.
Last But Not Least, Breathe
When things aren’t going your way, or you are feeling completely overwhelmed take a step back and focus solely on your breathing.
It pays to take a break and just step away from things for a bit.
Trying to force a solution usually ends up with you finding the wrong solution.
Instead, try taking a 5-minute meditation break.
Try moving away from your desk with some walking meditation.
If you can’t, the simply roll away from your desk (just a couple feet) and while sitting in your chair in a comfortable position just close your eyes and focus solely on your breathing.
Taking deep breathes in and slowly releasing until you have calmed yourself down.
I hope this blog post may help you when you find yourself stressing at work.
Subscribe below to stay up to date with future blog posts. Comment below if you have any advice that you think may be helpful to others!