Don’t Let Work Stress Grind You Down

What is the one thing that everyone experiences at work at some time or another? That is right, it’s stress, and that can impact negatively on your home life and your emotional wellbeing, as well as your performance at work. But what can we do to minimize work stress? Read on for some tips on how to not let work stress get to you when you go home at the end of the day.

Take a break

How many of us eat our lunch at our desks? In front of our email, or Facebook? Well, I can tell you that this probably isn’t doing your stress level any good. You are not getting up and stretching your legs, or getting some fresh air. You are not getting a change of scene either. So you deny yourself the chance to come back refreshed for the afternoon.

That is why you should really consider taking your lunch break properly and getting outside of the office to do other things. You could talk a walk, an exercise class, or even meet a friend for lunch. Anything to get you way from that desk for at least 30 minutes.

Embrace distraction

In addition to taking your lunch breaks it a good idea to take small breaks throughout your day to help you cope with the stress. These break doesn’t have to be long, but they give your mind space in which to think and process what is happening. As well as providing a respite for your eyes when you are using a computer.

To do this, you could choose to use the Pomodoro Technique. This is where is where you work for 50 minutes out of an hour, and then embrace distraction for the other 10. Or you could get yourself a stress relieving device such as a fidget cube or stress ball. That can actually help you to take a breather because it gives you something else to focus on.

Set finite timed tasks

Another way to reduce stress related to work is to set yourself finite timed tasks to complete. This is because having a day full of jobs that run into each other can feel very stressful, as you have no way of knowing when you are done or if you are making progress.

That is why it can be a lot more constructive to split your day down into smaller chunks. Then you will get that sense of satisfaction when you complete them. As well as knowing what is left to do the next day when you return.

Do something outside of work

Lastly, a great way of not letting stress beat you in the workplace is to take the time to do something that you value outside of work. This could be visiting family members, treating yourself to something fun like a spa day. Or even completing a self-development class.

What this does is allow you to see that while work is stressful, it’s not the only thing in your life. This can help you to put work stress into perspective and deal with it much more efficiently.

Think of it this way, doing activities that are meaningful outside of your work environment remind you that you do your work, you are not your work. It’s not your identity, and this distance can make any problems you are experiencing a little easier to deal with.