No matter what you do for a living or how much you love your job, it seems nearly impossible not to experience stress from work. For example, if you work at a desk job, you likely have deadlines and meetings that clog up your schedule. If you’re a first responder or medical provider, you may experience burnout from the mental and physical toll of dealing with life-or-death situations. Employees in every field can experience stress.
Work stress can come from all directions. There’s everything from micromanaging bosses and tight deadlines to long hours and difficult co-workers. While stress is often unavoidable in the workplace, you don’t have to just accept it and let it overwhelm you.
Read on for some tips to help you learn how to manage the impact of work stress on your mental and emotional well-being so that you can focus on enjoying your day-to-day life, both on and off the clock.
- Try to let go of what you can’t control
When you feel overwhelmed by work stress, it can cause you anxiety because short-term or prolonged stress can trigger your body’s stress response, releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These can interfere with your mood and make you feel excessively worried. Anxiety can stem from the uncertainty of things that are out of your hands.
You can alleviate work stress by not worrying about what you can’t control, such as:
- Opinions of your co-workers, managers or clients
- How others do their work
- Potential layoffs or reduced hours
- Ask for advice and feedback
Being seen as dependable and knowledgeable in your role doesn’t mean you can never ask for help. Your work stress might be coming from the mindset that you have to deal with every issue on your own or that you might need further insight to complete a task correctly.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your co-workers or supervisors. Not only can they help alleviate the current stress, but they can also provide you with feedback to either boost your confidence in your abilities or show you where you can improve to be the best worker possible.
- Prioritize your tasks
Work stress can come from feeling like your to-do list is only getting longer. Prioritizing your tasks on a calendar or notepad at the beginning of each week or day (depending on the nature of your job) can help your to-do list seem more manageable. You can also see if there are opportunities to break large tasks down into smaller ones so they seem less intimidating to start.
- Schedule regular breaks (and actually take them)
If you have a job that takes up an extensive amount of time and energy, it can feel like the stress is a constant weight on your shoulders every time you’re doing a task. But by giving your brain time to reset during breaks, you’ll be able to increase your focus while reducing mental fatigue that can lead to making mistakes.
Whether you have scheduled breaks or your hours are a bit more flexible, be sure that you step away from your work — both physically and mentally — to recharge.
- Make time for what makes you happy
Self-care is a staple for maintaining your mental health during life’s stressors, such as work. One way that you can prioritize your overall wellness is by making sure that you’re making time for things that make you happy, whether that be hobbies, relaxing with a podcast or quality time with your family.
Not only does self-care help you alleviate work stress, but it also ensures that you’re keeping a healthy work-life balance.
Even though work stress can feel like it’s never ending, it’s important to learn to manage and decrease it to reduce the risk of becoming burnt out or overwhelmingly distressed. Work stress may contribute to symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder if it’s not properly addressed.
If your work stress is causing significant distress and affecting your overall quality of life, including your productivity and mood regulation, Lightfully can help. We offer four levels of care to help you take care of your mental health:
- Residential Treatment
- Partial Hospitalization Program
- Intensive Outpatient Program
- Virtual Services (vPHP/vIOP)
Change is possible. When you’re ready to take the first step, reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team. We’ll take the next steps together, toward the fullest, brightest version of you.
