When is work stress becoming too much? A fresh take
Workplace Pressure Intensifies: Employees Nationwide Struggling to Cope
Work stress isn't always a bad thing. A little bit can help you stay focused and meet challenges, but in today's high-pressure world, it can feel like a roller coaster. Workplace pressures, long hours, tight deadlines, and overwhelming demands can leave you feeling drained, overwhelmed, and anxious. When stress outweighs your coping abilities, it stops being helpful and starts causing damage to you, your work, and your personal life.
You might think you have no control over your work environment, but you're wrong. If stress is affecting your work performance, health, or personal life, it's time to take action. No matter what you do or how stressful it is, there are plenty of things you can do to reduce your stress levels and regain a sense of control.
Common causes of workplace stress include:
- Fear of job loss
- Increased overtime due to staff cuts
- Pressure to excel despite decreased job satisfaction
- Perpetual demands to perform at peak levels
- Lack of control over how you work
Warning signs of excessive work stress
When work becomes too much, you may feel overwhelmed and lose confidence. Signs of excessive work stress include:
- Feeling anxious, irritable, or depressed
- Apathy, loss of interest in work
- sleep problems
- Fatigue
- Trouble focusing
- Body tension or headaches
- Digestive issues
- Social isolation
- Loss of sex drive
- Turning to alcohol or drugs to cope
Talk to a therapist
BetterHelp is an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists who can help with stress, anxiety, relationships, and more. Take the assessment and get matched with a therapist in as little as 48 hours.
Tip 1: Defeat work stress by reaching out
Talking about your stress can often be the best stress-buster. Sharing your stress with someone close or getting support from colleagues can help blow off steam and regain a sense of calm. You don't need your enemy to fix your problems—they simply need to listen.
- Turn to co-workers for support: Having a good support system at work can help buffer you from negative work impacts. Just make sure to listen to them too!
- Lean on friends and family: A solid network of supportive friends and family outside of work is crucial for managing stress in all areas of life. The lonelier and more isolated you are, the greater your vulnerability to stress.
- Build new friendships: If you don't have anyone to talk to, it's never too late to build new friendships. Join a club, take a class, or volunteer to meet new people and expand your social network. Helping others, especially those who appreciate it, can significantly reduce stress.
[Read: Social Support for Stress Relief]
Tip 2: Support your health with exercise and nutrition
Neglecting your physical health can make stress worse, but taking care of yourself can make you stronger and more resilient. A healthy lifestyle doesn't require a total overhaul. Even small changes can lift your mood, increase energy, and help you handle stress.
Exercise
Aerobic exercise is hugely effective in lifting your mood, boosting energy, sharpening focus, and relaxing both mind and body. Rhythmic movement can be particularly soothing for the nervous system. Try for at least 30 minutes of activity on most days, or break it up into smaller segments.
Nutrition
Your food choices can have a big impact on your mood. Eating small, frequent, and healthy meals can help stabilize your blood sugar, maintain your energy levels, and prevent mood swings. Try to minimize sugar and refined carbs, reduce foods with adverse mood impacts, and eat more Omega-3 fatty acids to boost your mood.
Avoid nicotine and excessive alcohol, as they can adversely affect your mood and exacerbate stress.
Tip 3: Don't neglect sleep
Skimping on sleep affects productivity, creativity, problem-solving, focus, and makes you more vulnerable to stress. Aim for 8 hours of sleep per night whenever possible. Make your sleep environment comfortable, avoid screens before bed, and limit daytime noise and light.
- Adjust to shift work: Make adjustments to your sleep-wake cycle like exposure to bright light when you wake up at night and blocking out daytime light. Limit the number of night shifts in a row to prevent sleep deprivation from building up.
Tip 4: Prioritize and organize
When stress threatens to overwhelm you, there are simple, practical steps you can take to regain control.
Time management
Create a balanced schedule to avoid burnout. Plan regular breaks, establish healthy boundaries with work, don't overcommit yourself, prioritize tasks, break projects into small steps, and delegate responsibility.
Task management
Prioritize tasks and break projects into small steps. Set clear goals and deadlines, delegate tasks when possible, be willing to compromise, and establish deadlines that are realistic and achievable.
Tip 5: Break bad habits that contribute to stress
Negative thoughts and behaviors can make stress worse. Change these habits for a healthier, more stress-free work environment.
- Resist perfectionism: Set realistic and achievable goals.
- Change negative thinking: Focus on positive aspects of your work and pat yourself on the back for accomplishments.
- Control the controllable: Focus on the things you can control and let go of the things you can't.
- Find humor in the situation: Use humor to lighten the mood and reduce tension.
- Clean up your work area: An organized and clean workspace can help reduce stress and improve productivity.
Take control of your work and work environment
Feeling powerless and out of control is a major source of stress. Talk to your employer about workplace stressors, clarify your job duties, ask for transfers or new responsibilities, take time off if needed, and find purpose and joy in your work.
How managers can reduce stress at work
Managers, supervisors, and employers can help lower workplace stress and boost productivity. Act as a positive role model, consult employees, communicate effectively, deal with conflicts positively, offer rewards and incentives, and help employees maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Ensuring a supportive work environment can reduce job stress, promote productivity, and improve employee well-being.
- To maintain mental health and overall health and wellness in the workplace, consider integrating science-backed strategies such as regular exercise, a balanced diet, and mental health support services like BetterHelp into your daily routine.
- In order to create a workplace that fosters wellness and minimizes stress-induced mental health issues, managers can prioritize employee well-being by implementing workplace-wellness programs that focus on work-life balance, positive communication, and mental health support.
