Let’s face it – A lot of us spend most of our hours awake at work. That fact alone is enough to cause an increase in stress! If you are in a demanding position, your stress level can feel as if it's through the roof most days and it can start to harm your overall mental health.
If you aren’t careful, this can bleed over into your personal life, causing you to be snappy with loved ones during the little time you have together during the week. If this sounds familiar, then you are in luck. Here are six tips to decrease stress levels during your workday:
Start your day off with some dedicated time for relaxation.
Whether it's prayer, meditation, or just some quiet time reciting affirmations, this time can set you off on a good note.
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Sometimes we are so busy in the mornings trying to get everyone out of the house and making sure we have our mental checklist ready that we unintentionally add stress to the day before it even begins.
Take a lunch break.
I know that some of you are thinking, “I eat lunch every day”, but I mean an actual lunch. Time away from your office where you can step away and get a quick reset.
I realize that for some of you, this can’t happen daily, but it should be a part of your routine even if you can only commit to this weekly. You will be surprised at how refreshing it is to step away and how much more focused you will be once you return.
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Limit your social media time.
I know that some of you will say that social media is a stress reliever because it allows you to take a break from the workday stress. I agree that it can serve that purpose, but how many times have you spent more time browsing your social media account than you intended? These platforms are great, but they are designed to keep you engaged and focused solely on them.
Having this happen during the day can prevent you from completing tasks that were required of you, which can add to your overall stress level. It already feels like there isn’t enough time in the workday to get everything done so let’s not add to that stressful feeling! If you feel compelled to take a quick social media break during the day, at least set a timer so that you don’t lose track of time.
Create a list.
Having a list will help guide you through your day and keep you on task. The key to building lists is to prioritize the items so that the most urgent needs for the day are at the top. So, if you have an unexpected event and you can’t complete your list, you will have at least completed the most pressing tasks and can reprioritize the remaining items to another day.
Give yourself permission to end the day with an incomplete list.
The unexpected happens and there is nothing that you can do about it. If you have prioritized the list and something at the bottom doesn’t get completed, be okay with that.
There is always more you could do in a day, but you must be realistic. You also want to be certain that your list is realistic. If you know that it is unrealistic to complete 10 things in one day, but you put 10 things on your list anyway, you are simply inviting stress into your life and that is not helpful at all!
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Stay away from negative people.
We all know who these people are. Even if you are having a good day, spending time with these coworkers will surely affect your mood and add to your overall stress level. Negative, unhappy people in the workplace, or our personal lives for that matter, have a way of dragging us down to where they are and sometimes that hole can be difficult to get out of.
Work can be stressful and sometimes there isn’t much that can be done about it, but these tips will help you stay ahead of the game and limit your stress so that you don’t allow stress to eat away at the quality time you have with friends and family during your personal time.
Dr. Nicole Washington is a board-certified psychiatrist, speaker, author and host of The C-Suite Confidant, a biweekly podcast covering topics pertinent to mental wellness for the high performer. She enjoys educating others on all things mental wellness in hopes of decreasing the stigma associated with mental health issues.
