…IDEAL for a holistically healthier life.
We hear about work-related stress so often that it’s become normalised. Snowed under a blizzard of documents, answering emails in your sleep, taking work on holiday with you…that is not normal. While it’s probably impossible to eliminate work related stress entirely, there are certainly various ways to control and reduce it.
Since prolonged stress affects your health in many unpleasant, unforeseen ways, managing it is essential to a happier, healthier life. With that in mind, here are 5 tips on how to cope with a stressful work environment, IDEAL for a holistically healthier life.
BUILD A POSITIVE WORKSPACE
We cannot control all the aspects of our office life. Indeed, there will always be inane gossip around the water cooler. Tuna will often be put in the office microwave. 5:01pm is guaranteed to have untold significance to you for the rest of your days. But we can at least eliminate a few stressful factors, and add some positive spin, too.
Sounds a bit dull we know, but as they say, a tidy desk equals a tidy mind. So, de-clutter your workspace, streamline your surfaces, and reap the benefits. Having a tidy environment to work in can make you feel more at ease and can make your brain feel a little less jumbled, too. Ensure that you keep your desk tidy by organising paperwork into the correct folders, clearing rubbish and keeping it free from dirty mugs. You could also add a living plant to your desk as this can help to cleanse the air around you and boost your productivity.
RULES AND BOUNDARIES
Learn to set them, and how to say no, and you’ll find your work-life immeasurably improved. That, or you’ll be sacked. It’s all in how you say it, we think. So, be firm, fair and reasonable when rejecting requests to work late or harder, for instance. Use reason in your reproach, perhaps suggesting that a higher workload will reduce the quality of your work and productivity. Appealing to your manager’s profit margins in such a way is cynical, but sensible.
GET ACTIVE
Exercise is one of the key elements to living a healthy lifestyle, physically and mentally, and as such, it can have a positive impact on your workplace wellbeing, too. However, if you’re sat at a desk all day (the risks of such a sedentary lifestyle are well documented) it can be difficult to incorporate exercise into your workplace.
Change up your daily routine, and ask support from your seniors to do the same. You could suggest walking meetings as this can increase your productivity and energy levels. Or, use your lunch break as an opportunity to go for a jog or a walk. If these aren’t viable options, you could aim to exercise before work. Rather than getting public transport or driving, you could walk, cycle or jog to work instead. If that’s implausible time wise, get off the bus or train a stop or two early, and walk the rest of the way. Anything which gets you a little out of breath does you wonders.
YOUR JOB IS NOT YOUR LIFE
We don’t know who needs to hear this, but since you’re reading this article, it’s probably you; your job and its responsibilities do not define you. Character, courage of conviction, staying true to yourself and your word…these should be the things you’re proud of, not the wording on your work contract. Remembering this can alleviate a huge amount of stress you may be feeling about your job.
Building a rich and meaningful personal life and making time – real, valuable time – for loved ones will help prevent negative feelings about work from festering. No, it’s not pleasant to learn that something you’ve been so involved in professionally didn’t go as expected, but you can reduce that sensation of having failed by nurturing meaning in other parts of your life.
STICK TO YOUR VALUES
Remaining true to yourself can help you survive a toxic work environment and reduce your stress levels. If there’s a toxic person – yep, it’s most likely your boss – encouraging bad behaviour from you, remember your principles. Just like you need good fly killers to keep your porch and garden free of intruders, so you need an imaginary fly swat to bat away the bourgeoisie and keep your feelings towards work harmonious.
That said and joking aside, if your bosses behave in an untoward manner or you witness inappropriate behaviour at work, do make sure you take action, express solidarity and offer support to anyone on the receiving end of this. Check out our tips on ways to deal with conflict at work for more on the subject.