Tips to handle stress at work

“In times of great stress or adversity, it is always best to keep yourself busy, to break up your anger and your energy into something positive.”

In today’s era of cut-throat competition, almost every working professional probably knows what it feels like when you are stressed on the job. Stressful elements can come along the way anytime. Imagine the situation when an important project comes without any previous notice, you have three emails already stacked up along with the reminder for tasks to be done, suddenly your phone rings and you have an urgent meeting. How the body reacts in such a situation?

The body and mind instantly start responding, activating a physical reaction known as the fight-or-flight response. In such a situation to manage anxiety and negative self-talk it becomes essential to stay calm and work for the survival of the job. On the other hand, the inability to deal with chronic work stress can lead to a psychological syndrome known as emotional exhaustion, to more severe burnout. Certain factors are linked with work-related stress. Examples of some common workplace stressors are inadequate pay, little independence, excessive workloads, mismatch between workplace and personal values, lack of support and opportunities for growth or advancement, lack of good relationship between coworkers, conflicting demands or unclear performance expectations.

Uncontrolled stress may lead to adverse effects. Unfortunately, not in all cases, work-related stress disappears when one heads home for the day. If stress persists, it can negatively impact health and well-being. A stressful work environment can cause problems such as headache, stomachache, insomnia and difficulty in concentrating. If stress gets chronic it can weaken the immune system contributing to health issues such as depression, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and obesity. Work stress not only harms the employees but can also harm companies or organizations. Burnout result in reduced job productivity, increased absenteeism and job turnover, and also encourage conflicts between coworkers, resulting in stress spreading within a workplace.

How to cope with work stress?

Cognitive-behavioural therapy offers several skills that may help deal with stress at the workplace:

Mindfulness: It refers to the capability to stay in a state in which you vigorously observe present experiences and thoughts without any judgment and accept them openly. It can be inculcated through formal practices such as guided meditation and mindful walking. Mindfulness-based therapies are effective for decreasing depression. One can start by taking a few minutes each day to focus on a simple activity like breathing, walking or enjoying a meal. The skill to focus will get stronger with practice.

Problem-solving: Problem-solving can be an active coping strategy. It involves guiding people on how to approach roadblock or challenge. This would include defining the problem, brainstorming potential solutions, ranking the solutions, developing an action plan, and testing the chosen solution.

Reappraising negative thoughts: Chronic stress results in situations where people develop a mental filter in which they automatically explain situations through a negative lens. People jump to negative conclusions with not much evidence. To reassess negative thoughts one can treat them as hypotheses instead of facts and consider other possibilities. Regular practice can help people lessen negative emotions in response to stressors.

Establish boundaries: In order to avoid feeling pressurised establish some work-life boundaries for yourself. That may refer to making a rule of not checking email or not answering the phone from home.  As an alternative of attempting to fight stress with fast food or alcohol, one must make healthy choices. Exercise is a great stress-buster. Yoga can be an excellent choice, too.

About Author

Anubhuti Saxena is UGC NET JRF-qualified with an experience of over five years as an academician. She is a keen researcher and has written several research papers that have been published in various international journals. Currently, she is working as an Assistant Professor at JIMS Engineering Management Technical Campus, Greater Noida and pursuing PhD from BIT Mesra.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha