Stress Reduction at Work

Maybe your job demands a lot of hours or has strict deadlines. Or perhaps you have interpersonal conflicts with bosses and co-workers. For a variety of reasons, many people find the hours they spend at work to be the most stressful ones of the week. It's important to know the effects of stress, as well as ways to reduce the effects of stressful events while you're at work.

Significance

Stress can erode mental health and can contribute to or worsen existing medical conditions. A less-stressed worker is a more productive and healthier employee, so it's important to find ways to manage stress while you're at work. Some workplaces offer stress management workshops or classes, but if yours does not, there are still actions you take on your own to stay peaceful, even during tight deadlines and workplace conflicts.

Types

Methods of stress reduction that can be done at most workplaces include deep breathing, meditation, exercise, getting support from others and recapturing your sense of humor. Closing your eyes and concentrating on taking long, deep breaths for just half a minute after a stressful meeting or phone call can often calm a person greatly. If you have a regular mantra or prayer you use, taking a few minutes to keep up this practice at your desk, in the break room or even in the restroom, can be beneficial. If exercise helps de-stress you, you can go out for a five- to 10-minute walk around the building. Talking to a co-worker or taking time to send and email to a supportive friend or relative can often relieve stress. Finally, having a sense of humor when things go wrong can help defuse a lot of tension. Taking 30 seconds to read your favorite cartoon or cracking a joke with a co-worker can get you back on track when you're stressed and starting to lose focus.

Considerations

Not all methods of stress reduction you may read about are appropriate for the workplace. You probably won't want to do formal meditating and chanting in your workplace unless you have a private office and an understanding boss, for instance. Also, forms of stress reduction that involve progressive muscle relaxation might just end up with you asleep at your desk, which is generally frowned upon.

Time Frame

Reducing work-related stress often begins before you ever get to the office. If you sleep through the alarm clock, skip breakfast and get caught in a traffic jam on your way to work, you're likely to start the day stressed. If you wake up 15 minutes before your alarm clock, have a leisurely bowl of cereal and coffee and find a back road with less traffic, arriving at work five minutes early, it will likely be easier to remain calm during stressful events at work. Taking a minute or two of every hour to stretch and walk around your desk can keep tension from building up too much. Almost every employee is allotted a lunch break of 15 minutes or more, and it's important to take this time off to eat, read or take a walk.

Benefits

Stress reduction will make you a happier and more productive employee. If you have a lot of items you need to get done every day, you may be tempted to work as hard as you can every minute of the day and skip your breaks. However, if you take a lunch break or just a minute here and there through the day to sit in the break room and daydream, you'll come back to your desk more refreshed. It's almost always the case that taking breathers will allow you to be more productive than if you had worked through all your breaks. Managing stress will also keep your immune system healthy which will mean less downtime due to colds and flues. And if you do get sick, you'll recover more quickly if you keep your stress levels under control.

Resources

• More information about deep breathing for stress relief