At some time or another, we have all felt the effects of stress. While short-term stress can actually help us grow resilience to overcome challenges, energize, and motivate us, chronic stress has the opposite effect. Ongoing stress can be harmful to our physical, mental, and emotional health.
Unfortunately, a large number of American workers are dealing with chronic stress. If you feel like you are one of those workers, it’s time to learn how to manage your stress. Without addressing your ongoing stress, it can lead to serious problems that affect both your professional and personal life.
How Can You Manage Your Stress and Work with a Clear Mind?
Recognize Your Reaction to Stress
One of the first ways to adjust your levels of stress is to understand how you react to stressful situations. While everyone responds differently to stress, here are some symptoms you may have experienced:
- Increased heart rate or blood pressure
- Fatigue
- Weight gain, digestive problems, or skin sensitivities
- Increased episodes of getting sick
- Poor sleep
- Inability to focus on the job
Develop a Growth Mindset
Rather than reacting to challenges with stress, it’s better to try to flex that growth mindset muscle instead. Having a growth mindset means that when faced with obstacles, you see them as opportunities to grow and become better. The more you practice a positive attitude in the face of challenges or adversity, the easier this growth mindset will come. This can help decrease the amount of stressful situations you encounter – both in the workplace and in your personal life.
Ways to Manage Your Stress
As much practice as you may do in developing your growth mindset, you will still have times that you need to do extra to manage stress. These ideas may help you keep stress at bay or help you manage it when you feel it grabbing hold.
Take Your Break Outside
Instead of eating your lunch inside, take a walk outside during your break. Even a 10-minute break outdoors can lift your mood, energy levels, and motivation. The vitamin D from the sun, the fresh air, and the change of scenery are all beneficial for giving your mind a break and reducing stress levels. For extra benefit, leave your cell phone or at least keep it in your pocket so you can just enjoy the break outdoors.
Unplug to Stay Focused
When you have important tasks on your list, the pressure can already increase some level of stress. To help you stay focused, turn any other devices or messaging platforms on silent or “do not disturb.” Having uninterrupted time to do your work will not only help you do better quality work, but it can decrease your levels of stress, too.
Create Your Work-Life Balance
Working in the modern world, with email and messaging apps on our phones, it can be nearly impossible to leave your work when you leave the workplace. It’s important that you create a work-life balance, and one of the ways to do so is to set boundaries for when you won’t respond to non-emergency work communication.
Excel at a Job You’re Excited About
With these tips to manage your stress, you can work your best at a job that fits your career goals. For help finding the right job, contact Axiom Staffing Group.
