Occupational stress can be harmful to our psyche as well as our health. Even though less time is usually spent at work than at home, stress emanating from the workplace can spill-over into our personal life.
Having a secure job is important; however, it’s not worth sacrificing your health and quality of life to keep it.
Here are some tips for maintaining a calm disposition at work:
— Schedule time for relaxation, exercise, and fun activities. There was a period of time in which I was working twelve hour days. After getting off work late in the evening, I would be so exhausted that I would head home and fall asleep right away. As a result, I became cranky and burnt out. So I purchased a gym membership that was close to my job and started exercising once I finished the workday.
— Also, during my breaks I make a point of going outside and walking. There are so many benefits to taking walks in fresh air. I’ve found that taking this time for myself has really paid off.
— Break projects into smaller steps and learn how to delegate. It might be hard to do this, because often we live by the motto: “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” This can cause a lot of anxiety. Break a large task into smaller tasks, and delegate work that could be done by another staff member. This greatly reduces stress-levels as well as helping the employee(s) build confidence knowing they’re trusted to carry out the assignments.
Start to incorporate these into your workday and begin to alleviate some of that workplace anxiety. If you ever find that the stress is too much, look for a different job that’s less stressful. I know this is difficult, but no amount of salary is worth putting yourself in jeopardy. Really!
After realizing the stress cycle they were putting themselves through, some of my students decided to quit the jobs that provided comfortable salaries because their bosses kept adding more departments for them to oversee. They said that it got to the point where they felt like hamsters in a wheel. You may want to consider this as well. Perhaps your new job won’t pay as well, but if the stress level is significantly lower that’s payment in itself! All of my students that made this transition are still glad they did.
Have a wonderful day! I hope you find all of your days becoming better and better, whether you’re at work or not!
Yours in Calmness,
Dr. Inessa
Calmness.com