Working is stressful. The constant onslaught of emails, the meetings, the deadlines that just keep coming; these are all contributing to a growing number of workers feeling exhausted, stressed, and sick of it.
- Studies have shown that exercise is a great way to manage stress. Try taking a short walk to relax your mind.
- Sometimes you just need a break. Using your break time to read or listen to music might actually lower the levels of stress hormones in your body.
- There are some homeopathic remedies with thousands of years of history, including aromatherapy with essential oils. Some of them can actually reduce your levels of cortisol!
- Try changing your work style. Make to-do lists or spend the day working outside.
- You might need to make the effort to connect with someone. Confide in a trusted friend or family member and don’t forget to get a hug.
- The best thing you can do for your stress is to reassess your priorities and make sure that your mental health is your top priority.
Wishing for a way to solve your stress problem? Here are some things to try.
Do Something
Sometimes all you need is to go out and get yourself moving. Staying active has shown to reduce stress. Try taking a short walk. Studies have found that workers feel more enthusiastic and less stressed about their work when they take a simple daily walk. You could also take the opportunity to stretch a bit. Sitting at your desk all day and stressing out can be terrible for your body. Even a few minutes stretching out will loosen you up and increase your blood flow, getting you ready for the rest of the day.
Another great way to stay active is yoga. Combining physical movement and meditation, yoga has tons of benefits, both immediately and in the long-run. Consider signing up for an online course or check out videos online to start your yoga practice. Along those same lines, progressive muscle relaxation, the practice of relaxing all the muscles in your body one by one, is an easy way to release tension and help you feel more relaxed and restored. You can follow guided progressive muscle relaxation videos online for a quick way to chill out during the day.
Take A Break
One of the best things you can do when you’re feeling stressed out is to take a break! Even at work, there are ways to truly take a break and separate your mind from the chaos of your job. Try spending your break time reading a book or listening to your favorite music. Research has found that certain kinds of music can actually relax our pulse and heart right, lower blood pressure, and lower the levels of stress hormones.
If you have the set up for it, a power nap during your lunch break might be the key to feeling less stressed. This has been shown to help regulate emotions, increase energy, and restore your brain’s ability to focus and function.
Try Homeopathic Remedies
There are many homeopathic remedies out there that claim to relieve stress. Here are the ones that actually might help:
- Chamomile Tea: Studies show that a simple cup of chamomile tea during the day can reduce the levels of cortisol, the hormone connected to stress, while also generally helping you feel relaxed.
- Practice Mindfulness: Mindfulness is a trend that many are jumping on because it works! Researchers have found that those who practice mindfulness reported having lower levels of stress, more satisfaction with their lives, and improved relationships.
- Aromatherapy and Essential Oils: This is a technique that’s been used for literally thousands of years. Aromatherapy using essential oils is an old-school relaxation method but there’s still a reason you should try it. Studies have found that certain essential oils, like lavender, have caused people to perform better and have less anxiety on tests, while other can actually reduce your stress hormones.
- Deep Breathing: By practicing deep breathing, you can increase the oxygen in your body and it’s so easy to do. Breathe in through your nose slowly and hold for a moment, then breathe out of your mouth slowly and you’ll feel the relaxation taking over.
- Meditate: This is another technique that has thousands of years of history. Today you can use apps to guide you through a meditation, even if you only have 5 minutes.
Change Your Work Style
The thing causing your work stress might be your work style. So, trying switching it up! Schedule specific times to check your emails so you aren’t constantly worrying about one coming in. You might also consider switching up your working location. Take a field trip and work outside if you’re able to. The fresh air can do wonders for your stress levels.
You should also adopt the practice of making a checklist and creating an action plan. These can help you organize your thoughts and strategize how you’ll tackle all your tasks. As you do this, make sure to occasionally reassess your to-do lists. Sometimes you’ll find you have something on there that isn’t needed anymore.
Connect
Sometimes all you need is to make a connection. Find a trusted coworker or friend and talk out your problems. As you do so, you might find yourself working out the problems. During this venting session, get a hug! It’s comforting and can improve your overall sense of well-being.
You should also get in the habit of expressing gratitude, both privately and directly to people. As you express gratitude, you train your brain to see the good in situations, rather than only seeing the bad things and letting those build up in your mind. Along that train of thought, you should develop the habit of talking positively to yourself. Rather than talking down to yourself, you should talk yourself up and see how great you are. It’ll help you feel more capable and motivated to get things done.
Reassess Your Priorities
Ultimately, much of your stress can be resolved by simply reassessing your priorities. Priority One should be your mental health. You need to make that something that you think about and address regularly, just like you do with your physical health. One way to prioritize your mental health is to cut out any unnecessary stressors in your life.
Sure, you need your job to survive, but do you really need to be in that book club you’ve been worried about for weeks? Is there a repair that needs to be done on your car that you’ve put off and is now causing your grief? Fix it!
Living a completely stress-free life is impossible. We will always have stress. But as we learn to address it and cope with it in a healthy way, we can live a less stressful life and find more satisfaction in doing so.