Some degree of stress during the workday is normal. However, when stress harms engagement, hinders productivity, or damages your mental health, taking action is a must. Long-term stress leads to a range of problems, including everything from aggravating specific health conditions to causing burnout.
Fortunately, you can stress-proof your work. Here are three strategies that can get you headed toward a less stressful career.
1. Identify the Source of Stress
In many cases, people are acutely aware of the sensation of built-up stress, but they aren’t always certain about where it originated. Generally, you can’t limit the stress you’re experiencing at work without first identifying the original source. By doing so, you know what to watch for, can become more mindful in regard to your response, and are more effective at finding solutions that prevent stress from triggering.
During moments of stress, take a moment to reflect on the situation. Remove as much of the emotional context as possible, focusing on precisely how the event unfolded. After creating a timeline, consider what about it elicited a stress response. Then, determine why you reacted in that manner. Avoid blaming others along the way, as it’s critical to understand how your thought processes and emotions played a role in your current state. After that, you can view the situation through a new lens and think about how to prevent something similar from occurring more logically.
2. Express Your Stress in Writing
One reason that stress builds is that many people tend to hold it in, making the experience highly internal. As a result, it’s possible to get caught up in thinking about the stressful event or thought, causing you to fixate on the issue. When that occurs, the amount of stress you’re feeling builds, often to a level that’s out of proportion with what happened.
By taking a moment to jot down some notes about the stress you’re experiencing, you’re preventing yourself from internalizing your stress as much. It’s an outlet that lets you express yourself without involving others, and it can stop some of the spiraling that may otherwise occur if you continue internalizing your stress.
3. Reframe Your Fears
In many cases, stress is spurred by fears. For example, you might worry that a client hates you as a person after they expressed displeasure with a part of your work. Similarly, you may believe that you’ll get fired by your boss after a minor misstep.
Often, what you fear and the reality of the situation isn’t aligned. Instead, what you’re afraid of is often a highly improbable event or scenario, potentially connected to an assumption that another person is having an overblown reaction to something that occurred. By acknowledging that’s possible, you open the door to less stress.
Usually, the easiest way to begin is to write down the fear that’s related to your stress. Examine it logically and neutrally. Determine how realistic what you’re afraid of is, such as whether it’s genuinely likely to play out as you envision. In most cases, you’ll see that your fear is related to an incredibly unlikely outcome. In turn, it’s easier to view that source of stress as inaccurate, allowing you to move past it with greater ease.
Ultimately, stress is a part of life. However, by using the strategies above, you can stress-proof your work. If you’d like to learn more or are interested in finding new job opportunities, The Squires Group wants to hear from you. Contact us today.
