Ever worry about deadlines? Do you get a little anxious when meetings run long or so and so from that one department shows up late again? Do you crunch numbers, hunker over a keyboard, prepare presentations or clean up messes that aren't yours?
Sounds like you're a part of the workforce. And even the best jobs in the world can stress you out from time to time. Thankfully, we're making this little post with a few tips and ideas that can take the edge off of all the madness. Feast your eyes on our quick list of simple stress relief tricks for any job!
- Moderate your caffeine intake. Too much coffee, soda, tea or energy drink can leave you feeling jittery and anxious.
- Consider your seating. Sitting near a major office crossroads (perhaps by the break room, outside a major meeting room, near the snacks, etc.) can be extremely stressful thanks to all the foot traffic, competing conversations and distracting interactions. Maybe it's time to move to a quieter corner of the office with more natural light and fewer things to pull your attention away.
- Supplement with Stress Away. Rather than sweeping your stresses under the rug and pretending they're not there as they boil closer to the surface, regiment an all-natural stress combatant into your life.
- Try a standing desk. If slouching and straining leaves you feeling sluggish, tired and sore, switch things up and stand for a change. Whether you buy a full standing desk or a desktop conversion, the standing posture can help you feel more energetic and alert throughout the day, not to mention help your back.
- Give deep breathing exercises a whirl. Download an app like Headspace or Calm and use a few minutes of your day to channel your breath and let the stresses fade away.
- Hone your focus with a Text Editor like Noisli. This simple web tool comes with a handy white noise soundboard so you can customize your experience to simulate a coffee shop, bonfire, gentle rainstorm or more, and rids your screen of other internet distractions like social media, news sites, and YouTube. In other words, you can stay focused longer so your tasks are completed quicker!
- Pending your work environment and whether it'll disrupt those around you, you may curb your stress with fidget toys, stress balls and other little gadgets. This is no joke. A little movement may help you release pent up energy so you can better focus on the job at hand.
- Take a walk. Yes, really. Walking meetings are a legit thing in some of the biggest businesses around. A little change of scenery may inspire positive thought, and it's good to get the blood flowing instead of sitting all day.
- Signal the end of each day. After a long day's work, it's tempting to check emails a few more times on the drive home. It's easy to check reports from your phone during dinner or before bed. But this kind of always-on behavior may actually be feeding your stress. Signal the end of each day with a close and an internal mantra. Perhaps as you're turning off your computer, closing the blinds, locking the office, etc. As you do so, usher the following under your breath, "The day is done, and with it, my day's work. Tomorrow we begin again."
- Limit your amount of connected devices. Nowadays we have automated homes, smart TVs, smartphones, Bluetooth devices and more. And if we're not careful, all of them are synced up to work accounts and instant messaging. Every job will certainly have seasons when you can't afford to go off the grid, but set up boundaries for your home and your personal life so you can balance and breathe.
- Embrace the personality tests and teambuilding exercises at work. From Myers Briggs to Enneagrams, strength finders to guest speakers, learn to learn from them all. You'll not only gain insight into how you're wired but also how to better collaborate and communicate with coworkers. It's tempting to write off such opportunities as silly, but many programs have a lot of merits.
At the end of the day, every job is going to throw you curveballs and challenges. It's not the load that can break you, but how you carry it. Address your stresses head-on, exhale a sigh of relief and carry them with a positive perspective. You can do it!
