Reduce Workplace Stress Once and For All

SurePayroll also knows that chronic workplace stress can lead to negative effects on overall health. This week, we’ve put together a few tips to help you manage some of the stress in your life.

Identify your stress

According to the American Psychological Association in their article titled, “Coping with stress at work”, workplace stress is common. Increasing workloads, low pay, and performance demands all contribute to stress. Stress not only triggers physical responses (insomnia, headaches, difficulty concentrating, etc.), but long term can lead to serious health complications such as heart disease. Management of your stress whenever possible is essential. How? Try to identify what stresses you out. Not everyone is stressed by the same things. Keep track of your major stressors and how you respond to them so you know know how to look for relief. 

Relieve built-up stress

When stressed, find an outlet that will work for you: a quick burst of tension-relieving exercise, a walk, deep breathing. In her article “10 Ways to Relieve Stress in 5 Minutes or Less” for Psychology Today, Paula Davis-Laack J.D., M.A.P.P and Founder of the Stress & Resilience Institute, suggests taking 5 minutes to do a ‘brain dump’. Acknowledge your frustration over an incident or the entire day, and then release it. Let it go. Write it down and get it out of your head and onto paper. Such a release (whether on paper or to a confidant) is the best way to ‘dump’ the negative and start over with a fresher outlook.

Get out!

When you’re stressed to the max, change location. Go outside, even for a few minutes. Merely stepping away from the ‘scene’ can produce amazing results, writes Ashira Prossack for Forbes in her article, “4 Ways to Reduce Stress at Work”. So go get a breath of fresh air. If you can take the time, opt for a short, quick walk to stimulate your senses. Think about anything but work and the frustrating situation you left inside. This short ‘escape’ acts much like a re-set button for many, allowing you to regain control of your emotions.

Recognize symptoms of stress

Be aware of not only what stress does to your body, but how to recognize its symptoms, suggests Kurina Baksh writing for Safeopedia in her article titled, “How to Reduce and Manage Workplace Stress.” Workplace stress can take a severe toll on physical and emotional health, so know the symptoms – emotional, physical, and mental. Are you increasingly negative and experience erratic mood swings? Do you have trouble with focus or concentration? Do you find your patience is exhausted or you blow up at even small things? Have your eating habits or sleep patterns changed? If so, you may be dealing with stress. Talk to someone (preferably your doctor) to try to manage it.

SurePayroll is devoted to small businesses. Stay healthy and always try to put things in perspective. Check-in with us again next week for more ways to succeed in your small business endeavors.