May 18, 2010
5 Easy Tips to Reduce Stress at Work
BY John Paul Narowski IN Karma 0 Comment
Stress can literally kill you. Unfortunately, many times, this is often recognized too late. Between rushing to get to work, trying to be superman while there and then rushing home to be the best mom/dad/husband/wife/roommate/dog owner you can be you’re going to get bombarded with stress from a ton of different directions.
If you don’t find ways to moderate your stress levels you can expect to meet with physical conditions like heart disease, migraines, tension headaches and emotionally just feel like you’re ready to snap. That’s no way to go through life!
When Enough is Enough?
If you’ve recently noticed you’re feeling stressed out (or maybe tried to kill the mail guy with a Bic pin because he lost that letter) then it’s time to implement these easy five tips to take it down a notch.
- Get Organized: A lot of stress in the workplace comes from having to hustle to find things, meet deadlines and finish projects. If you simply work on your organization skills you won’t be in such a hurry to find things at the very last minute. Use a great CRM like Karma to keep your contacts, responsibilities and progress with your clients all in one simple place.
- Time Management: A huge factor in stress is not giving ourselves enough time to complete what needs to be done or over booking ourselves. You’re not superman, no matter what you think. Sometimes you just have to say “No” to the latest project or meeting and admit that you have your hands full. Of course make sure you do this in the appropriate manner as to not upset your superiors but don’t take on too much or you will find yourself spread too thin.
- Just Breathe: Taking deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth is a great way to immediately reduce stress. Your body won’t be able to maintain the frantic pace it’s ramped up to without the quick oxygen you’re feeding it through your mouth. Plus, the time away from whatever is stressing you out and just focusing on your breathing will automatically take it down a notch.
- Sleep More: One of the main reasons people get stressed out so easily is because they simply aren’t sleeping enough. Yeah, back in college you could run all day on Starbuck’s and 2 hours of sleep but that just isn’t the case anymore. Get more sleep at night and make sure it’s quality. No TV while you sleep or even 30 minutes before, less caffeine throughout the day (none after 3 PM) and even avoiding non-fiction reading can all make for better sleep. The more rested you are the more your body and mind can deal with stressors that come up in your work day.
- Exercise: By taking time out of your uber-busy schedule to for a walk, stretch at your desk or just a few quick exercises to get the blood flowing can help during the day. To get the most benefit out of exercise make it a regular part of your schedule and really push yourself to get rid of all those negative stressful feelings inside of you while also tiring yourself out. I prefer a punching bag; you can imagine all kinds of annoying co-workers, bosses and anyone else who makes you want to stay under the covers in the morning.
