We all know that stress at work is bad for our health and wellbeing. From lowering our immune system to raising our blood pressure, it can affect us in so many ways, none of it good.
We know all this, but sometimes we just can’t avoid it. It just appears and we get swept along with it. Tight timings, too many things to do, conflict, threat of restructuring or redundancies, meeting targets… It’s relentless. Small things become big things, piling up on top of one another to create a mountain of stress. We’ve all been there to varying degrees. It’s not pleasant, especially when it spills over to our home life.
So what can we do? A) we could all move into a health spa, have massages all day and drink mint tea. Or B) (perhaps more realistically)we could starting using some effective copy strategies to reduce your stress levels. Option A still sounds the best though, doesn’t it?
Annnnnnnnd breathe
It sounds obvious, but breathe. If you’re feeling stressed, just pop off to the loo or somewhere else that’s quiet and inhale deeply for five seconds, hold and exhale. Repeat. It’s instant calm, and will restore balance and perspective, especially after a tough meeting or bad pitch. You might like to take this further, and introduce meditation regularly into your life generally. There are loads of great apps out there to help you.
Reach for the off switch
The thing about technology is that people can reach you all the time. Emails, messages, calls… Some days it seems everybody wants something from you NOW. Being bombarded like this can send our stress levels sky-high. Don’t feel pressurised to respond to everything immediately. Give things space. And do things in your time. You’ll find you’ll be able to respond with better solutions too because you’ve had more time to think about things.
All work and no play…
You might think focusing on work non-stop for 8 hours a day will impress your boss or your team, but it doesn’t. It could be, however ,a fast-track to burn-out. You need to take a break during the day and recharge. Whether it’s a little jog at lunchtime, listening to a podcast, or just indulging in an utterly childish conversation with a colleague about whether you would rather have arms for legs, or legs for arms.
Organise your time
Sometimes stress catches up with us because we have so much on our plates. We’re encourage to multi-task, because that’s what successful people do, right? Rubbish. Try prioritising all the things you need to do in a day, or a week, and stick to it, one thing at a time. Guaranteed, some things you thought are important can wait a few more days.
Look after yourself
A healthy working life starts with a healthy you. And if you’re tired or run down, then that’s like a magnet for stress. Make sure you eat well, drink lots and lots of water, and put sleep above everything else at the end of the day. Oh yes, and take some days off work. The better you feel, the better you can tackle the day.
Get support
You’re not alone. In fact, you’ll be surprised how many people in your team or in your company are feeling overly stressed too. Talk things through with close colleagues, or even approach your boss. It’s their job to help you perform well, and you can’t do that with anxiety. If you continue to feel overwhelmed at work, then try counselling with a therapist. Thankfully, the stigma of seeing a counsellor has changed over recent years, and now it’s common practice. You’ll learn some brilliant strategies to help deal with stress and get you back feeling well and whole again.
Work-related stress doesn’t have to be take you over. You can master it. At DeskLodge we do everything we can to create a calming, inspiring environment so that work can a little more relaxing, and a lot more fun.
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