How to cope with work stress

Just as we leave folders containing papers in the office, it would be great if we could also put stress aside so easily. But we usually take it home with us, which affects our behaviour. At the same time, no one wants to be the person who is constantly complaining about work and annoying people around them. So how to go about relieving work stress?

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There are several ways to "put stress behind you", maintain a cool head and not talk about work-related stress in a negative way. Here are some tips on keeping it under control.

Search for opportunities for relaxation

Sometimes we have to find ourselves the opportunity to take a break from work for a while and reduce the amount of stress associated with every job. Even small breaks play a big role. Enjoy time for yourself, regardless of whether you go to buy a snack at the machine three storeys below or pop out for ten minutes to breathe some fresh air.

On the mental level, positive thinking can help. Try to get away from work for a moment and think about events you are looking forward to. Remember your achievements and positive outcomes of work you have done in the past. Look for ways to set a goal and how to do your best to make it manageable and enjoyable. Incorporate a relaxing moment to your liking within your working cycle. This will help reduce stress and make you feel more relaxed.

Plan it

How best to avoid the risk of high stress levels? Choose the right strategy. Think about what would ideally help you to cope with the given situation: compare, create, write a plan. Start with time management. Schedule your time, be realistic and consider how long it will take you to complete a given task. Once you have a plan, follow it precisely. Of course, you can also revise the plan as necessary and adapt to any unexpected changes.

Focus also on work organisation. Schedule the difficulty of your tasks and sort them out as best you can. By planning, you naturally create order and a timeline for all parts of the process.

Don't create catastrophic scenarios

Start by not talking about how stressed you are by work. Instead, inform people around you how well you are managing everything! Thus you will avoid negative thoughts and perhaps not expect the worst.

Internal unease will lead to a negative scenario of everything that might happen appearing in your head. You are then excluding any opportunity to handle an ongoing situation because you immediately think of the worst eventuality. For example, if you can't fall asleep, you say to yourself: if I'm tired tomorrow, I won't be able to concentrate on my work, I won't be productive, I won't meet deadlines, the boss will shout at me, I'll be angry, everyone will suffer because of me ... And in effect you allow this negative thought process to continue indefinitely. Whenever you are afraid, you will also be frustrated or angry.

Yet it is relatively easy to divert all such negative notions to the opposite side. Try to focus on what is happening right now, the present moment. For example, just concentrating on breathing may help you reassess your previous catastrophic visions. You can't fall asleep, but you can tell yourself: whatever happens, I can do it, even if I'm a little tired. I'll have a coffee in the morning and things will be better.

Take stress positively

It is easy to treat stress as something negative. On the other hand, it can be seen as a challenge, opportunity, experience. Work stress may even help some people to achieve better results, work more efficiently or act faster. Probably no one looks forward to stress but you can certainly reconsider its meaning and the impact it has on you.

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