There is a lot of pressure on people in businesses these days. The recession is making it a lot harder for some businesses to survive, and that can put A LOT of stress on the best of us. A little bit of stress can be a good thing, can help motivate us… but too much can cause serious health issues – ulcers, heart problems, sleep disorders, even severe depression. Learning to manage and deal with stress can be one of the best things you do for your health. Here are a few quick tips to help you handle your stress.
- Get active! Whether it’s just going for a quick walk on your lunch break, getting a membership at a local gym, or joining a sports team, exercise is one of the best ways to work off stress. You’ll feel more refreshed and relaxed afterwords.
- Eat well. Eating a complete diet of junk food will make your body feel worse, and will make the effects of stress feel stronger. Keeping a properly balanced diet with a lot of fruit and vegetables, whole grains and protein will give you the energy to get through the day.
- Organize your work environment. A chaotic working area can cause as much stress as a large business reorganizations. Keep your desk, drawers and filing cabinets clean and organized – not only will you be able to find things faster, but you won’t get stressed just by sitting down at your desk first thing in the morning.
- Relax. When the stress is really starting to get to you at work, close your eyes and breathe deeply for a few seconds. This will help you to relax momentarily during the day. After work, look into meditation or yoga to help you relax.
- Keep in contact with family and friends; build strong relationships with colleagues. These people are your support system. Keep in touch with them. They’ll be able to help you keep focus on what is really important in your life.
- Get a lot of sleep. Don’t lose sleep over stress. Lack of sleep will make it harder for you to deal with stress during the day, and increases your chances of getting sick. Everybody varies as to how much sleep they need per night, but on average it’s 7-9 hours.
- Limit your caffeine intake. Instead of giving you more energy (as a lot of people believe), caffeine really increases hormones levels that relate to stress. Too much caffeine not only makes you feel more stressed, but it also can cause some serious health issues (lack of sleep, higher blood pressure, etc.) As well as decreasing your caffeine intake, increase your water intake – dehydration will make you feel tired and more likely to get stressed.
- Keep communication between your employees and employers open. If you’re really stressed about a certain task at work, talk to your employer or employees. Let them know what it is that is making you stressed, and come up with a way in which people can help you with this task. Remember – just because a certain task is your responsibility, you don’t always have to complete it all on your own all the time. It doesn’t make you any less of a competent employee to need help.
- Personalize your work area. Whether it’s by including photographs, comic strips, action figures or stuffed animals, personalizing your work area will give you something fun to focus on whenever you are really feeling the pressure of stress start taking over.
- Keep your work and personal lives separate. Don’t bring your stress home from the office with you. We all need time to get away from the stress, and it will just make you more stressed to not take a break from focusing on the exact thing that is making you stressed in the first place. Take a break and focus on your family and friends.
What are your tips to beat stress?