How to Deal With Stress in the Workplace

Key takeaways

• 4 Steps for Dealing with Stress in the Workplace

• Stress Awareness Month

• “Would it Help?”

4 Steps for Dealing with Stress in the Workplace

Everyone deals with work-related stress at different times; it comes with the territory. Whether you work for someone else, supervise others, or lead the show as owner, different factors in the workplace can cause you to feel overwhelmed and often times anxious.

When stress reaches this point, it can affect other areas of your life, including your personal aspirations, hobbies, and relationships. In this post, you’ll discover four essential steps to helping you deal with work-related stress, so you can achieve your professional goals, while still maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

How to Deal with Work-Related Stress Step 1 – Write It Down This may sound a bit old-school, especially if you’re not one to create to-do lists or keep a journal. But, the act of actually writing something down helps bring everything back into focus, allowing you to plan ahead by creating a path forward to success. Let’s say, for example, you come into the office with a million things on your mind: I need to email that client; I forgot to schedule a team meeting; I made an error in that report; I have to kickstart this project, etc. Instead of leaving these thoughts in your head, write down each task you need to accomplish that day. Remember to ensure your to-do list is manageable (meaning it’s “humanly possible” to complete in one day). Make sure you also leave room for unexpected tasks that usually present themselves on busy days.

Stress Awareness Month

April is Stress Awareness Month. We’ve all experienced stress at one time or another – it’s a natural, normal response to life’s demanding situations. What is stressful to one person may not bother another in the least, and stress can manifest itself in many ways. Stress impacts individuals differently. Effects of stress vary in intensity and can be physical, physiological, or psychological.

Anxiety and/or depression Health problems, frequent or chronic illnesses, high blood pressure, or headaches Inability to focus or concentrate Irritability, anger, or mood swings Insomnia or changes in sleep patterns Appetite changes Since 1992, health care professionals and health promotion experts across the country have joined forces during the month of April to increase public awareness about the topics of stress and stress management. During Stress Awareness Month, additional attention is given to available resources and materials for reducing and managing stress.

Experts agree that it’s important to understand what causes you stress so that you are effectively able to manage it. Recognizing which people, places, or situations trigger higher stress levels is critical. Once you’ve identified which situations cause you to respond in a way that can be identified as stress, you’re able to employ activities and routines to decrease or eliminate the negative effects of the event.

“Would it Help?”

I have not seen the movie Bridge of Spies, but recently a patient told me about the film because it contains one of the greatest quotes of all times, “Would it help?” You may be asking, “What’s so great about that?” Well, this query seemed to be the cure for my patient’s struggle with anxiety because the question brought logic back to the illogic his anxiety feasted upon. “Would it help?” became a powerful response Soviet spy Rudolf Abel gave each time his attorney asked him such a question as, “Aren’t you worried?” Abel simply and sincerely countered, “Would it help?”

In all honesty, how can one say, “Yes! Of course! Worrying and fretting over things I have absolutely no control over helps me all the time!” Really? How? By wearing you down and draining you of all energy and hope for a solution? By causing you to be so consumed by the mental gymnastics being played out in your brain that you miss out on a funny joke someone just shared or by keeping you fitfully awake all night? By making you miss work, school, or some other obligation because your stomach was so tied up in knots you thought you might get sick if you left your house? How are these things helpful?

Excessive worry and ruminations about multiple things being unable to stop or control those worries feeling as if you cannot turn off your mind or stop thinking insomnia irritability feeling tense and on edge fear that something awful is going to happen poor concentration and forgetfulness

When to reach out

If symptoms are affecting relationships, work, school, sleep, or daily routines, professional support can help you sort through what is happening and choose a realistic next step.

MHCS provides therapy and mental health support for individuals, couples, families, teens, and adults.