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Stress Management Tools Often Overlooked
- By Richard Reid
- Published 10/7/2008
- Stress Management
- Unrated
Richard Reid
Richard Reid of Pinnacle Proactive, Specialists in the Employee Assistance Program, Stress Management, Staff Retention & Absenteeism. Take a Proactive Approach in Growing Your Organisation
View all articles by Richard Reid
There are many techniques and practices that can help you deal with stress. A couple of them are often overlooked. Hopefully one of these will help you reduce your stress.
For many of us, coffee fuels our days. Most of us are not aware that the same caffeine that keeps us going is also a trigger for stress reactions in our bodies. Switch to decaf or try slowly weaning yourself off of coffee. Most people notice that they feel less jittery and that they unexpectedly have more energy.
Another solution is to become more physically active. Exercise helps to release unspent energy, energy that you usually use to fuel stress. This exercise can be anything from taking a brisk walk down the road after dinner or few laps around the pool. Doctors recommend working out at least 30 minutes three days a week or more.
Many people do not get enough sleep. It goes without saying that you feel much worse on the days when you get an inadequate amount of sleep. The average adult needs seven to eight hours of rest, although many of us only get around five hours of sleep. Tune in to your body's natural rhythm and try going to bed 30 minutes earlier than you usually do and you will find yourself being more alert (and less stressed) the next morning.
Most jobs are very demanding and in order to keep
up with the pace the office demands, we take less breaks and push ourselves to get as much work done as possible. There needs to be a healthy balance between work and rest. Overworking also tends to leave us drained and stressed out. In order to prevent this from happening, try taking periodic 20 minute breaks and pacing your work. You may find that it actually increases efficiency and the quality of your work.
A good support system can also help alleviate stress. After an altercation or an especially difficult day at work, it is important to be able to vent to a listening ear. This person should be someone you trust that will listen without passing judgment. If you cannot talk to someone, try writing down your feelings and then shredding the evidence. After you are done writing or talking, your feelings of anger will have dissipated.
The one necessary tool for combating stress is humour. Like the adage says, laughter is truly the best medicine. In this sort of situation, it can relieve ever-present workplace tension. Have a sense of humour about things that irritate you and laugh about projects that go wayward. Work is a serious matter, but that does not mean that you are not allowed to enjoy yourself.
To alleviate the most tension try using multiple techniques to learn how to better handle your job. Stress is not avoidable in the workplace, but if you use these tips, stress can be subdued.
For many of us, coffee fuels our days. Most of us are not aware that the same caffeine that keeps us going is also a trigger for stress reactions in our bodies. Switch to decaf or try slowly weaning yourself off of coffee. Most people notice that they feel less jittery and that they unexpectedly have more energy.
Another solution is to become more physically active. Exercise helps to release unspent energy, energy that you usually use to fuel stress. This exercise can be anything from taking a brisk walk down the road after dinner or few laps around the pool. Doctors recommend working out at least 30 minutes three days a week or more.
Many people do not get enough sleep. It goes without saying that you feel much worse on the days when you get an inadequate amount of sleep. The average adult needs seven to eight hours of rest, although many of us only get around five hours of sleep. Tune in to your body's natural rhythm and try going to bed 30 minutes earlier than you usually do and you will find yourself being more alert (and less stressed) the next morning.
Most jobs are very demanding and in order to keep
A good support system can also help alleviate stress. After an altercation or an especially difficult day at work, it is important to be able to vent to a listening ear. This person should be someone you trust that will listen without passing judgment. If you cannot talk to someone, try writing down your feelings and then shredding the evidence. After you are done writing or talking, your feelings of anger will have dissipated.
The one necessary tool for combating stress is humour. Like the adage says, laughter is truly the best medicine. In this sort of situation, it can relieve ever-present workplace tension. Have a sense of humour about things that irritate you and laugh about projects that go wayward. Work is a serious matter, but that does not mean that you are not allowed to enjoy yourself.
To alleviate the most tension try using multiple techniques to learn how to better handle your job. Stress is not avoidable in the workplace, but if you use these tips, stress can be subdued.