Work is Stressing Me Out! Here Are 5 Things That Can Help.
Posted on May 13, 2015 by Bob Wilson, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
You're overworked, burned out and highly stressed. How do you cope with work stress when you just want to run away?
Work is spinning out of control. Too many #1 priorities. They are all due now. People are freaking out. You just want to run away.
But you can’t.
So what do you do?
Here are five things that can help:
Take a deep breath. Literally. This may sound like something your parents or grandparents used to say. But science has shown it does relax you. When you are tense or anxious your breathing tends to get shallow. This in turn will make it harder to focus. Taking a deep breath is a great start to getting re-focused.
Make a list of what you can ignore. This may sound silly, but it works. There are things outside of your control. For example. other people’s reactions. Take five minutes and write up a quick list of the things you have no control over. When you are done, tear it up or shred it. This provides closure and helps you move on to the things you do have control over.
Switch Sides. Research has shown that when you are stressed, switching to an activity that uses the other hemisphere of the brain will reduce your stress. .
If you are anxious, worried or emotionally upset, that is happening in your right brain. Switching to something left-brained, like organizing or making a list will reduce your stress.
If, however, you are feeling time pressure or feeling overworked, then your left brain is the side that is being stressed. In this case, doing something more creative will help. If you have a job that involves very little creativity, this can be difficult. For those of you willing to try something different, you might be surprised at how a few minutes of doodling can help. If you want to know more, check out this CBS News article here
Divide and conquer. If every things seems like #1, you still have to choose. I know, not what you wanted to hear, but it’s reality. Pick the project(s) that will have to slide. Tell the requester(s) directly, firmly and considerately that it has to wait. It will be tempting to either delay this or sugar coat it. Resist those urges. It’s like pulling off a band-aid, the slower you do it the worse it is. Decide, Communicate. Move on.
Act Swiftly. Whichever project or task you have decided is your top one, get after it right away. What can you do right this moment to move it forward? Determine what it is and do it. Do it now.
These are five ways that can help. The ones that are most effective will vary by situation and individual. Use the ones that are most helpful to you.
