3 Quick Fixes for Beating Stress at Work

Last updated November 14, 2021

A little bit of stress can be a good thing, helping motivate you into action, such as when you have a deadline to meet. But too much stress can negatively impact you, affecting your mental and physical wellbeing.

When the pressures of daily working life begin to overwhelm you, it’s a sign that you have taken on more than you can handle. 

Stress can manifest itself in many ways. Some warning signs to look out for are if you’re having trouble switching off and can’t stop thinking about work or if you’re finding it hard to sleep at night.

Reduce stress whenever it strikes with these three easy-to-master methods:

Face the world with positivity, purpose & poise

How you show up at work sets the tone for the day ahead and has a drastic influence on your stress levels. If you’re stressy and busy all the time, you’re unconsciously inviting conflict into your life. When you don’t give yourself enough time to do everything you need to, you’re basically running on adrenaline. This naturally increases the amount of pressure you’re under, making you feel even more stressed.

I recall being super serious when I first became a manager. I walked around everywhere with a frown on my face. I didn’t realise I was doing it until a colleague pulled me up one day.

“You never smile,” and “We’re all on edge every day wondering how you’re going to be.”

It was a wake-up call that I needed to change. The good news is that how you present yourself each day is entirely under your control.

To start the day right, begin with a positive intention about how you plan to be.

“Today, my intention is to be...”

At the end of the day, congratulate yourself for how often you were able to achieve your positive intention. Also, give yourself a mental high five when you stopped a negative behaviour and returned to your positive intention.

Productivity hacks to regain control of your time

Phone calls, emails, text messages, video calls, team messages... so many channels to manage and people competing for your attention every second of every day. It’s easy to drown in a sea of constant notifications demanding instant action. You may feel you must answer each one immediately but stop and ask yourself, is that what is actually expected or just what you think you should do?

Silence the noise and distractions clouding your focus

How you manage your time is essential for staying productive and sane – don’t let technology take over your life. Smartphones, tablets and computers are meant to make our lives easier, not harder. Take back control by turning off ALL notifications, both auditory and visual.

Now turn your phone over, so it’s face down, the equivalent of phone time out.

Structure your day so you can achieve more

Next, block out set times each day for checking your messages, e.g. 30-minute blocks every couple of hours. This will free you up for a couple of hours at a time to focus on a meaty task before taking a break to stretch your legs. Go outside for some fresh air, head to the kitchen for a refreshment – whatever works best for you to clear your head.

Try the Eisenhower Matrix framework to scan your messages during the allocated time. It’s a simple method for prioritising which messages need urgent attention and which messages can be looked at later, delegated or ignored.

The Bullet Journal system is excellent for prioritising your work at the start of the day and checking off your accomplishments at the end. Make sure you set yourself a start and end time to your working day, so you have time for yourself.

Allow time to recharge your batteries

At the end of the workday, switch everything off, so you aren’t tempted to answer just one last message. Unless you’re on an urgent assignment, there’s no need for anyone to be answering emails late at night or working until they drop. This is a life out of balance, and you’re fooling yourself if you think you’re being productive!

It may seem strange to start with, but you’ll thank me once you have established some much-needed order to your day. You’ll feel like you’re actually accomplishing your work rather than your phone being the master of your existence.

Self-talk your way to greater resilience

Resilience is how quickly we’re able to rebound from challenging situations. It’s a pivotal component of how well we deal with stress. Fortunately, resilience is a skill that you can quickly develop so that stressful situations don’t affect you as much or for as long.

One method for building resilience is the TEA method designed by the clever people at Google to help their employees stay focused. It’s a valuable activity that can help you reflect on your habits and routines as often as necessary to recentre yourself.

TEA is an easy-to-remember mnemonic that stands for: 

Thoughts – Acknowledge the way that you are feeling and envisage how you would prefer to feel.

Energy – Take stock of your energy and think about what you need to do to maintain or increase it.

Attention – Set goals for what you want to concentrate on while being flexible enough to change direction if needed. 

You can view the in-depth activity sheet provided by Google.

Summary

It’s impossible to avoid stress altogether, but you can limit how much you’re affected by it with a bit of planning and determination. It’s important to remember that work is a marathon, not a sprint. Marathon runners train to go the distance, whereas sprints require a surge of energy. For more ideas on tackling stress, check out this article on how to enjoy the lighter side of life.

However, suppose you feel like you’re always competing to succeed or are worried that you’re simply not good enough. In that case, one-to-one career coaching can help you implement the above strategies and other useful techniques so you can lead a more fulfilling life.

See coaching has helped others get ahead like Michelle, who now feels in control of her working life.

Related content…