4 Ways to Handle Workplace Stress

It doesn’t matter what your job is, you can be subjected to a lot of workplace stress.

We’re expected to do overtime and be available outside of work hours more now than we ever have been before. Countless emails, pinging messages, phones ringing off the hook, and more can create too much stress and burnout for anyone to handle.

Feeling some tension in the workplace is normal, especially if you’re facing a deadline, but when it becomes chronic stress it can affect your emotional and physical well-being.

You can work at home with a good VPN service to protect you, but nothing can protect you from the wrath of an angry boss if they don’t know what you’re doing or how you’re doing it. Micromanagement isn’t just for the office because people can easily micromanage their remote employees.

Here are 4 ways to handle workplace stress so you can stay calm and productive.

Recognize Your Response to Stress

If you have low energy, headaches, insomnia, or rapid heart rate, but you can’t attribute it to anything in your personal life, then your job may be stressing you out to the point that you’re physically reacting.

Long-term exposure to unmanaged stress can take a toll on your mental health, and plenty of sources suggest links between work-related burnout and depression.

Write It Down

Write down everything including the symptoms you’re experiencing, the issues you’re having in the workplace, and how it makes you feel.

Keeping a journal to track your stress triggers and noting your reactions to those triggers helps you identify whether what you’re feeling is work-related or not. It can also help you understand how to resolve the stressors or whether you just need to quit your job and move on.

Recharge

Even if work is busy and you’re struggling to find ways to relax, you must make time for yourself to recharge. Listening to a podcast between meetings or playing uplifting music while you work can help you take breaks from thinking about your job and get relief from your stress.

Speak to Your Boss

Your boss might not know that you feel like you’re drowning right now, so talk to them about your stress and how you’re struggling. If they don’t hear you or aren’t willing to listen, then you need to consider getting a new job.