It’s a given that you’re going to face work stress plenty of times throughout your career. Whether it be a disagreement with a co-worker, an embarrassing misstep or an insane workload, those panicked or anxious feelings will be an obstacle that you’ll have to learn to overcome.
It can be easier for some than others, but if you’re one of the “others,” check out these these de-stress tricks for instant calm and clarity.
Breathe Deep
It’s kind of amazing what a little breath work will do. Sometimes, work stress can go extreme and turn into a serious bout of hyperventilating, which is all kinds of wrong. When you feel a pang of stress start to hit, close your eyes and count to five while taking a deep breath, then let it out ofter a count of five. Repeat this 5-6 times and you’ll likely feel as if a weight has been temporarily lifted from your shoulders.
Take Off Your Shoes/Jewelry
When you’re feeling work stress, it can really weigh on you… literally. When your mental capacity has hit it’s max, you’ll start to feel the physical weight of everything. Jewelry will start to suffocate you and your shoes can feel overly constricting. Removing these items, even for a few minutes, will give you tangible relief and help calm the stress mess inside your head.
Drink Water
When we’re under pressure and sweat beads are starting to form, many turn to a food or beverage to ramp them up in hopes of kicking into work performance high gear. Unfortunately, in high pressure situations, a stimulant is only going to exacerbate your stress, making you jittery, edgy and irritable. This could spiral you into a bathroom stall crying, freaking out or giving yourself a pep talk. Instead, down a cold glass of water. It will give you a badly needed physical refresh, and, in case you didn’t know, staying hydrated keeps you alert, focused and feeling cleansed throughout the day.
Have An Escape
No matter what’s going on in life, everyone has some sort of physical or mental happy place they retreat to when they need to decompress and press the reset button on their direction and focus. Next time work stress decides to stop by your desk and hang around, get out of that headspace with a welcome distraction! Browse your favorite online store, jump across the street for a juice or a breath of fresh air. Better yet, text someone you care about a funny GIF, just to make yourself laugh. Stepping away from whatever is stressing you out for a few minutes is just the kind of re-charge you need to get back to your tasks at hand without the nagging pressure.
Communicate The Work Stress
Don’t be afraid to speak up if you’re feeling overwhelmed — especially to a coworker. Of course, a one day stress moment might not warrant a sit down with your boss, but if work stress keeps haunting you day in and day out, it might be time to evaluate your workload. If thinking about your work life seems like too much to mentally handle, ask for a meeting with your boss and express your concerns and the challenges you’re facing. Go in with a game plan of how you’d like to adjust your day-to-day that will keep you relatively stress free, while still satisfying your boss’s expectations.
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