How to Manage Stress in The Workplace

We often hear the word stress when someone talks about their work-life. What exactly do you think they are complaining about? What triggers stress at a workplace? Does everyone experience it? Did you know that during 2015/2016, there were about 488,000 cases of issues related to stress at the workplace and mental health in the UK? The stress phenomenon is equally pervasive in the US.

Whenever a situation of urgency arises, such as a deadline at work, one is expected to feel stressed. When you think about stress in those terms, it an acceptable type of stress because it plays a healthy role in motivating you to perform better. However, the stress that is triggered at workplace due to long and inflexible working hours, poor working environment, unrealistic expectations, heavy workloads, or bad work culture is very harmful to the workforce and the company. Sustained exposure to such stressful environment at the workplace can have serious health implications for the workforce and it may affect their quality of life.

There are many ways in which an employee can deal with work-related stress and stay positive and productive during work hours. Getting the right amount of sleep, meditation, yoga, working out, and maintain a healthy lifestyle can put you in the right mood to take on all the challenges at work every morning. Taking short breaks at work is one of the best things to keep you focused. Instead of keeping a bottle of water on your desk, take a quick trip to the water cooler can be a very healthy decision. Never skip lunch as a hungry stomach will not make you more productive on the contrary, it may give you mood swings.

Check out this infographic for more tips to staying stress-free in the workplace. Although an employee can train himself or herself to manage stress and learn to cope with it, it is also a responsibility of the leaders to ensure that the work environment does not turn toxic.