Do you want to know how to deal with work stress?
If you do, then we are here to help.
Work stress is something that almost everybody has experienced, is experiencing, or will likely experience.
What we are saying is that it is a common occurrence that is oftentimes unavoidable.
Some people even perceive a considerable degree of stress as acceptable.
However, when work stress is intense and unmanageable it can become issues that can damage a person’s work performance and health.
A person can deal with and manage work stress if they know the necessary actions to take.
However, not everybody knows how to deal with work stress.
Hence, in this article, we will share some valuable information on how to deal with work stress.
To begin, we will look closely at what work stress is.
What is Work Stress? – How to Deal with Work Stress
Work stress is the emotional and physical strain and pressure people feel because of their work.
When a person is feeling pressured or worried over something relating to work that person would most likely suffer from work stress
Several people suffer from work stress.
It is often considered to be unavoidable.
Work stress is often confused with work challenges.
Work challenges motivate a person to do better in their work by acquiring more knowledge or new skills.
While work challenges help to promote productivity, work stress reduces a person’s productivity.
This is because when a person suffers from work stress, they are usually drained physically and mentally.
As a result, they would not be capable of working the way they ought to or want to.
Work stress needs to be dealt with to avoid being unproductive, weak and pressured.
Causes of Work Stress – How to Deal with Work Stress
Work stress can occur due to various reasons.
We will share some of these reasons with you.
You can check out the following reasons or conditions and see if they pertain to you.
Excessive Workload
Excessive workload is one of the common reasons for work stress.
A person will feel pressured and stressed when they have too much work to do.
Sometimes people with excessive workloads to do, get confused about where to start from.
Or when a person knows that the volume of their workload is too heavy for them or the deadline is too short, they would likely get pressured.
As a result, stress will come in.
Lack of Aid or Support – How to Deal with Work Stress
Lack of aid or support is another factor that causes work stress.
You might have to do some task or job but cannot do it because you need assistance.
Or you could be capable of doing it alone.
However, you know that it would not be well executed if you do it alone.
Not having that support you need can get you frustrated, and ultimately make you become stressed.
Lack of Control
A person can become stressed if they believe that they have no control over their work.
Some instances when a person can feel like they do not have control over their work are:
- When they cannot determine their work process
- Inability to make decisions concerning their work
- When they cannot determine their performance targets
The more they believe that they have no control, the more their stress level increases.
Poor Working Environment or Conditions – How to Deal with Work Stress
If your working environment or condition is poor, it can cause work stress.
This is because you would not be comfortable working.
When you are not comfortable, you would not be as creative, innovative, or productive as you would normally be.
As a result, there would be a decline in your work quality.
This will make you struggle to do better, and when you cannot you will put yourself under pressure.
Eventually, stress will come in.
Work and Life Balance
Your personal and work life has to be balanced for you to enjoy good life quality and be productive at work.
However, if you cannot balance these two aspects of your life, you would get drained.
You will not only feel stressed because of work but also because of other aspects of your life.
Insufficient Training – How to Deal with Work Stress
If you do not have adequate training to handle your work, it would burden you.
You will not be able to effectively do your work because you do not have adequate training.
As a result, you would mistakes you would not have if you were adequately trained.
Trying to cope, will burden and stress you.
Health Symptoms of Work Stress – How to Deal with Work Stress
Work stress has negative effects on your physical and mental health.
Your body gets weakened when it is stressed, making it difficult to fight illness.
Hence, you end up experiencing symptoms of some illness or the illness itself.
Stress can get to a person’s mind, and cause them to feel mentally drained and emotionally low.
The following are some of the symptoms you can experience when you are stressed.
- High blood pressure
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Headaches
- Altered Appetite
- Hyper-activeness
- Fatigue
- Low sex drive
Behavioral Symptoms of Work Stress – How to Deal with Work Stress
When you are suffering from work stress, it does not only show health symptoms.
It also affects the way you look, act, behave and perform at your job.
Let us take a look at some of them
Procrastination
Some people tend to procrastinate when they are stressed.
When the stress of their work is becoming unbearable they become reluctant to do their work.
They might decide to do their work, but end up procrastinating.
In this case, the stress has gotten to them so badly that they are just going through the motion of ‘working’ when they are not working.
Uncharacteristic Behavior – How to Deal with Work Stress
When a person is stressed, there is a tendency they would exhibit behaviors that they usually don’t exhibit.
For example, a friendly jovial person can become quiet and brooding when they are stressed.
In some cases, that friendly person can even become aggressive.
They often do not mean to change character, but the stress has gotten to them so badly that they find themselves behaving like a different person.
Visible Tiredness
If you are stressed about work, it will show on your face and body.
This is because you might be having difficulty sleeping.
If you work long hours to cover up your work, it will also contribute to your tiredness.
When you regularly or constantly appear tired, it would serve as a sign that you are stressed.
Irritability – How to Deal with Work Stress
Irritability comes with being stressed.
When you are stressed, your patience is usually stretched thin.
As a result, you would snap, be blunt, and get overly aggressive at the littlest of things.
If you notice these things about yourself, then know that you are suffering from stress.
Increased Sensitivity
Stress can make a person more sensitive than they usually are.
This is especially true if their stressors is insufficient training, excessive workload, or lack of control.
These stressors often make people doubt their abilities.
As a result, it reduces their self-confidence.
When conversations about work arise, they become very sensitive.
They might find jokes and comments about their work and performance to be more hurtful or offensive than they usually would.
Social Distancing or Withdrawal – How to Deal with Work Stress
Stress has a way of making people withdraw from other people.
This is especially true when the stress is very intense.
A stressed individual would rather spend their time brooding alone than have fun with family, colleagues, friends, or business partners.
Reduced Productivity or Performance
When a person is stressed, they tend to get drained mentally and physically.
Hence, they will find it difficult to execute some tasks and jobs.
As a result, their productivity or performance level in their work will reduce.
Check here to discover ways to improve company productivity.
Tips on How to Deal with Work Stress
When work stress is not dealt with it makes you less productive in your work.
It does not only do that, but it also negatively affects your physical and mental health.
Hence, works stress has to be dealt with.
We have prepared some amazing tips that will help you effectively deal with work stress.
1. Be Conscious of How Stress Affects You
As we earlier discussed, stress can take affect your physical and mental health negatively.
It can also affect your behavior.
So, stress effects should not be taken lightly.
Do not allow stress to linger for long.
Be alert and stay conscious of how you are affected by stress.
This way, you would know in time when you are stressed and work to deal with it.
We earlier shared most of the health and behavioral symptoms of work stress.
So, you can use that to check yourself.
2. Identify Your Stressors – How to Deal with Work Stress
To deal with work stress, you have to identify your stressors.
Stressors are those situations or events that cause stress.
We also refer to stressors as causes of stress.
To identify your stressors, you have to pay attention to those things that make you feel frustrated, tired, or pressured.
Sometimes your stressors can be people and not only situations.
For example, if your relationship with your business partner is not healthy, it can create an unhealthy working environment.
As a result, you will not be comfortable working with them.
Eventually, this will cause you to become stressed.
In this case, the stressors of your work stress is your business partner.
So, pay attention to how people make you feel.
Once you identify what your stressors are, have them written down.
Then think of ways to resolve them.
3. Take Breaks
Most times when people are stressed they tend to overwork.
This does not help.
Rather, it increases your stress level.
So, when you work, ensure that you create time to rest and recharge.
This will not only help you reduce stress but also reduce your chances of experiencing work stress.
During those breaks, you can listen to music, watch funny videos, or take a short stroll around your work environment.
Just make sure you do whatever you know will make you feel relaxed, refreshed, and recharged to go back to work.
4. Learn to Manage Your Time – How to Deal with Work Stress
Time is a valuable resource that cannot be gotten back.
Most times, people get stressed at work because they did not fully utilize their time to do their work.
As a result, they would start working overtime just to cover up the work they were not able to do during work hours.
This does nothing but increase your stress level and make you tired.
To avoid resorting to this strategy to finish your work, you need to learn how to manage your time.
When you can manage your time, you will be more organized and not overwhelmed with work.
One way of managing your time is by prioritizing your tasks.
If you can prioritize your tasks based on importance, you would know which comes first and which comes next.
This will help you to do your work faster and more organized than having to do everything in no precise order.
5. Work on Your Thoughts
The human brain is complex and powerful.
What goes on in it can affect your behaviors, actions, and emotions negatively or positively.
Hence, you have to be careful what you think.
If you have constant negative thoughts about work, it could make you feel less of yourself.
This in turn can make you believe you are not fit to do your work.
As you doubt yourself, worry will come in, and eventually, stress will too.
So, you have to be careful with what goes on in your mind.
Do away with negative thoughts and focus on the positivity around you.
6. Balance Your Work-Life – How to Deal with Work Stress
When there is no balance between personal and work life, it can cause stress.
Understand that you need time to rest and relax outside work.
This way, you would not overwork and get burnt out.
Know when you would work and make use of that time to work.
When you spend time with people you love and enjoy being around, it would relieve you of any stress you might be feeling.
7. Treat Yourself Well
The way you treat yourself can either increase your stress level or reduce it.
You should not let yourself go because of work.
Learn to treat yourself well by engaging in self-care.
Do not let yourself get overwhelmed with work.
Instead, Sleep and rest well, eat healthily, and set time to have fun.
Understand that you would be more effective to tackle your work when you have met your main needs.
So, you should not take self-care lightly.
8. Do Away With Perfectionism – How to Deal with Work Stress
Perfectionism has caused stress for several people.
So, if you find yourself working overtime to get your work ‘just right’ or ‘perfect’, then you need to stop and reflect.
Yes, perfectionism comes with some benefits.
However, it has a very high chance of causing stress and burnout.
So, rather than work to reach perfection, focus your mind on the effort you are making.
9. Go on Trips/Vacation
Going on a trip or vacation is a wonderful way to deal with work stress.
This is because when you are on a vacation you can disconnect from your responsibilities at work, unwind, and feel relaxed.
So, when you are getting overwhelmed, pressured, or stressed with work you should consider going on a vacation.
When you get back from your vacation you would feel re-energized to face your work
10. Rely on Your Support System – How to Deal with Work Stress
Support systems are a group of people who has your back and would stand by you at all times.
Your support system can consist of your family members, friends, and well-wishers.
They are people you know you can trust and depend on.
When you are stressed with work, you should not shut these people out.
Rather, rely on them.
They will make you happy and help you get through the difficult and stressful times you are facing.
11. Engage in Relaxing Activities
You can relieve work stress by practicing or engaging in relaxing activities.
Some relaxing activities are meditation, mindfulness, and breathing exercises.
These activities help you to slow down and become more aware of your environment or surroundings.
They reduce anxiety and make you feel relaxed.
To practice mindfulness, you need to learn to focus on the present time and enjoy simple activities.
Take 5 minutes every day to practice some breathing exercises.
The more you engage in the activities, the less stressed you would be.
12. Seek Counseling – How to Deal with Work Stress
When you are overwhelmed and stressed with work, you can seek professional support and help.
If you work with a professional you would find it easier to identify your stressors, figure out better ways to navigate them, and care for yourself better.
Conclusion on How to Deal with Work Stress
Work stress can eat at you till you are weak physically and mentally.
Also, it can make you less productive in your work.
So, you need to immediately and effectively deal with it before it becomes uncontrollable.
In this article, we have shared useful information on how to do so.
We hope that it is of help.
