Work to curve stress before it wears you all the way down.
The micro-managing supervisor, unresponsive or broken copiers, annoying co-workers, the un-flushed office toilets, and many more are all examples of the underlying reasons for office stress. We’ve probably learned back in grade or middle school of how stress was, and still is, key to survive. It is what pushes us to keep going or run away. However, too much stress can have detrimental effects on your mind and physical self. In fact, emotional stress can lead to a weakened immune system and cause other health problems, like high blood pressure, depression, fatigue, anxiety, and heart disease. So what are some ways to help us cope with the office stress?
While there aren’t any pills to help you deal with the stress (at least not legal or OTC), there are several things you can do to relieve some.
- Keep a small notebook or journal with you for a couple of weeks and write down all the things and people who give you stress. Once you identify who and which situation create the most stress for you, brainstorm ways on how you can respond to that situation or person.
- The responses you create need to be healthy. In other words, if it is a broken machine, speak to your supervisor or contact HR. If it is a co-worker, talk to them. Let them know how you feel.
- Just like outside of the workplace, your workplace should have boundaries. Let your coworkers know what yours are.
- Take several minutes out of the day to relax or even take a short walk. Get up and get the blood flowing again. This will not only wake you up, it will make you feel a lot better instantly.
- If nothing works, talk to your supervisor or get help either through a company program or a counselor.
There is nothing worse than seeing your world fall apart because of people, situations or events that create a stressful environment for you. Know there are healthy and productive steps you can take.
