2 Top Tips To Curb Work Stress
Feel easily overwhelmed at work? It’s incredibly common for even those of us who love our work to sometimes feel the stress of daily responsibilities taking over. Ready to get work stress under control? Give these two strategies a try!
DEVELOP A CLEAR VISION OF YOUR IDEAL VERSION OF YOU.
Write down the type of person you wish to be. Not your career goals, just the kind of human being you aspire to become. Few people have ever done this, yet it can be incredibly inspiring and clarifying to do so. Be sure to include a sentence or two about remaining calm under pressure, being unattached, or perhaps staying optimistic in all circumstances.
Becoming this person should become your primary aim. Read the summary of the Ideal You every morning, think about it throughout the day, make it a constant part of you. The more you do this, the more you will begin to exhibit the same excellent character traits of this person. As the great Hollywood icon, Cary Grant once wrote, “I acted like Cary Grant for so long I became him.”
DEVELOP AN UNBREAKABLE SOLUTION FOCUS.
Discipline yourself to remain totally solution oriented, no matter how tough your circumstances may be. In my experience training many top business performers, one of the most important characteristics truly exemplary executives share is their intent on finding a solution, no matter what. When you examine workplace stress closely, you see that someone’s stress often rises the moment they switch from a solution focus to a problem focus.
To remain solution focused is hard work. To do so you need to make it a central part of your core self image. Once again, the more you choose to see yourself as a totally solution focused person, the more you will develop that quality. It should appear in your Ideal You vision and be addressed daily.
Now, once you have developed a clear vision of your ideal version of you (performing at a high level no matter how stressful your work becomes) then add to that a dedication to remaining solution focused at all times, you will find that your stress levels plummet. A strong sense of calmness and confidence will pervade your day .
But there’s one further strategy that used in unison with these will radically lift your well-being at work to an even higher level.
– via Forbes
Small Changes For A Big Change
Let’s be honest – your workday doesn’t start when you get to the office. For most of us, our workday starts the minute we wake up. But is that how it’s supposed to be? Making a few small changes about the way you handle your day – starting from the minute you get out of bed – could help you take back control and feel a true sense of peace in your workplace, no matter what work stress you face!
1. Reconfigure Your Morning
Do you turn over and check your inbox to read emails in bed before you’ve pulled back your window shades to see the sky? If so, you’re going from zero to 60. No wonder you feel frantic!
Instead, consider easing yourself into the day. Get a retro alarm clock so you can keep your phone away from your beside table—and instead of checking it first thing, spend a few minutes meditating, do a quick morning yoga sequence, go for a jog, or just take a few minutes to make (and enjoy) a healthy smoothie. You will have a more relaxed approach to your day if, as excellence coach Phil Drolet talks about in this video, you “create an intentional ritual that gets your mind and body up and running and into an optimal state.”
2. Take Control of What You Can
Not feeling in control can often contribute to anxiety about work. And while getting in control of your entire work life is a longer-term project, there are smaller things that you can organize in no time to ease some of your anxiety.
For example, develop some quick techniques to tame your inbox instead of becoming a slave to the onslaught of new messages. (I swear by programs like Sanebox and Unroll.me.) Set up a good project management system or prioritize your to-dos first thing in the morning (or the night before!) so you know what needs to get done today and what can wait until tomorrow. Even just dedicating a few moments to clear the clutter around your desk (or on your computer desktop) can help to calm your mind.
3. Take Breaks
There will always be another email to read and another tab to open on your internet browser—but that doesn’t mean that sitting in front of your screen for a seven-hour stretch is healthy.
Instead, make sure you’re logging off consistently every couple hours, even if it’s just to walk around the block and take in some greenery. Research shows that people who live near green spaces have less depression and anxiety. So, if you have the opportunity to go outside for even a few minutes to “smell the roses,” do it.
– via www.themuse.com
How do you stay calm and curb your work stress? Which tips have helped you most?