Workplace stress can be so widespread that it begins to feel like just another part of your job. But this can lead to many long-term ill-effects on both your career and your health. Short of quitting your job for a less stressful one, however, there are a few strategies you can employ to tone down the work stress in your current job.
Here are a few great methods for reducing your stress at work:
1. Perform, don’t react.
If you’re constantly reacting, you’re not doing your best work—and you’re not carefully considering situations as they come at you. Stay in control by stopping before acting and taking a moment to review and properly strategize. The more you practice this, the less the stress hormone reaction will kick in each time something new gets dropped in your lap.
2. Get planned.
Once you de-clutter your space, do the same for your project lists and your email inbox. Keep things neat and you’ll feel much more nimble when it comes to decision making. Group your papers and projects into action types— ‘call back,’ ‘file,’ ‘complete.’
3. Make attainable goals.
If you set goals for yourself that are too unreasonable, then they’ll become more unachievable—and you’ll start to feel rather discouraged when you keep failing to get things done.
4. Don’t self-impose stress.
Fair enough, plenty of your stress is peripheral. But there may be stresses that you’re imposing on yourself—and pointlessly. Make sure you’re not too caught up in others’ perceptions of you. Shift your focus off of others and do your own work, as calmly and measurably as you can.
5. Prioritize sensibly.
Not everything can be a red-hot urgent priority. Have a think about which of your ‘apex priorities’ are actually top priorities, and then deal with those. Learning to realize that not all projects and crises have equal weight is a great step towards maturity and minimizing stress.
