How to cope with stress at work digitalbloggers.com /jonboy/how-to-cope-with-stress-at-work/
5 things to reduce your stress at work and make your environment more enjoyable. How to cope with stress at work is something I’ve been trying to answer since starting my new life in Germany. If your’re reading this then I know you’re dealing with some unhappiness in the workplace and I would like to help. Below are the 5 things that have helped me the most and I would like to share them with you. Not all of them are easy but you’re not reading this because you’re happy at work and if you follow all of the suggestions below I truly believe you will feel less stressed and more like yourself. It worked for me and I know it can for you.
Block time with yourself This is critical to reliving your stress levels at work. You should block time in your calendar every single day for lunch and any other breaks you can throughout the day. This time is mandatory, an appointment with yourself that cannot be sacrificed. It’s totally OK to share this time with someone else but it must be with someone who does not contribute in any way to your feelings of stress. It’s sad to say but I have spent many lunch breaks on my own but there was no other option in my mind. I needed to be alone if only to remove myself from my workplace and break up the day. Blocking time for yourself is the first step in How to cope with stress at work
Talk with your manager You have to try and relieve yourself from the things that are causing you the most stress. Period. When I was feeling at my worst the last thing I wanted to do was speak with my manager. I was new to the company and felt if I spoke with him it would show weakness and revel how much I was struggling. This decision back fired in a big way for me and prolonged the suffering much more than it needed to be. One night I couldn’t sleep at all, I don’t know what it is about the dead of night but I find it a horrible place to be. There I was stressing out about every little aspect of my job whilst everyone else was asleep. Well at least that’s how it felt to me. The next morning I went straight into the office, and asked to speak with my manager. I hadn’t even taken my coat off yet. I’d reached the end of the line. I got everything off my chest and to my surprise my manager was very supportive and apologized for not realizing how much i was struggling and how bad the job was making me feel. I felt
1/4
stupid for not doing it earlier and this is something I always do. I leave things until they get so bad that i’m forced to take action out of pure desperation. Please don’t get yourself into this position because I know how it feels. I obviously don’t know how your manager would react but once it’s out there they have to do something and this will normally result in a reduction in stress for you. For me all non esential projects were put on hold and the workload was distributed more evenly across the team.
See it as it is but don’t see it worse than it is
Care less what people think Everyone wants to be accepted, we are programmed this way. We want to fit in and feel a sense of belonging. The thing is we can’t change other people and it’s taken me a long time to realize this and just accept it. I had a tendency to see things much worse than they actually were and it can really add to your stress if you’re constantly seeking the approval of everyone around you. The more we get annoyed with how people are and the way they react to us the more stressed we’ll be. I was in a new country, new job and really felt like I didn’t fit in to my new workplace. Nobody really spoke to me; I was isolated in the team and was constantly hurt when people reacted in a bad way when I was just trying to do my job. If you’re feeling down and stressed at work these things can really affect you. I know how it made me feel. However take it from me, the minute I stopped caring things got better. I was not worried about how people perceived me or how they reacted to me when I said something. I knew I was a nice person who was always polite and if I walked away feeling bad I just brushed it off. Someone told me recently that every single one of us is just doing the best they can, just like you. I always keep this in mind.
A problem shared really is a problem half solved
Seek support of the people closet to you I really don’t know what I would have done in the moments when I was at my lowest had it not been for my family. I cannot stress this enough, don’t try to deal with everything on your own if you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed. It’s exactly what I tried to do and it didn’t help me. Not one bit. I know it’s only natural to try and paint a rosy picture for the people closet to us. I never wanted my family to worry about me so I kept everything inside. Unfortunately my girlfriend got the worst of it, she had to deal with me being so unhappy on a daily basis. But remember this. They want to help you. Open up to them and just get it off your chest, put it out there and you really will feel so much better. You might get quite emotional, remember this has been building up inside of you for a long time but a problem shared really is a problem half solved. Your partner or family will appreciate your openness, they will rally around you when you need it most and more importantly you won’t feel so alone.
2/4
Search for the permanent solution Ok, so the last and most important thing is to find a permanent solution to your stress at work. All of the above steps will help you relive stress in the workplace just like they did for me, but if you’re truly not happy and all your energy is spend fighting the feelings of stress then you need to resolve this. PERMANENTLY I don’t mean just leave your job although this might work for some but I’m talking about forming a plan. A plan that will move you away from the situation you find yourself in today. It could be looking for a new position within your company or outside. Maybe start educating yourself in an area where you feel more passion, then you can search for a position you would truly love to do. Whatever it is do not procrastinate, you can’t afford to do this. You need to change your focus from the day to day and move it to the future. Believe me you will be amazed how this changes what you feel about your current situation. You’re no longer concerned about the stress around you because you have a new purpose, vision and drive. You know where you’re going. Trust me on this. If the situation in your current position is not going to work for you in the long term then figure out what you want and change your focus towards this. As you start taking the actions needed you will start to wonder why you were so stressed in the first place. I made a decision recently to change my focus and start an online marketing course which has led me to writing this blog for you. I made the decision to stay in my current job, I don’t like it there, I don’t want to be there but I’ve found my vision and I’m 100% focused on that. I’m much less stressed at work because I know every single day when I make my journey to work it won’t be forever. I’m going in a different direction. Change your focus and start changing your life.
Another thing that has really helped me was starting my day in the right way. I have a certain routine I follow every morning and it’s made a big difference to my state of mind before I get to the office. I haven’t covered this subject in the above but if you check out “How successful people start their day” I think it could be another option when trying to learn How to cope with stress at work.
Please if you found this helpful leave a comment below or share this content. This is something very heart felt for me as I know how bad stress can get in the workplace. It’s something I still deal with on a daily basis and it’s hard. If you know anyone who could benefit from knowing “How to cope with stress at work” please share this? If it only helps one person it would be enough.
3/4
Jon Petrou – How to cope with stress at work - Top of page
� Previous Post
About Jonathan Petrou Hi everyone, I'm 32 years old and currently living in Berlin. I'm originally from London and arrived in Berlin via Amsterdam where i spent four great years of my life. l moved to Berlin with my girlfriend for a new adventure. New city, new apartment & new jobs. After arriving in Berlin I had what you might say was a "Wake Up Call". Realising the career I was trying to create for myself was not what I wanted, not something i was passionate about. I was really not happy and finding my new life in Berlin very hard going. I decided to draw a line in the sand and made a commitment to myself that I was going to make some changes. Find my purpose, my passion and make some changes, but most importantly not allow myself to return to the place that had made me so unhappy. So... I"m now trying to make some big changes in my life and as I do this I would like to motivate and inspire people to do the same. This is the reason for the my blog. Change is hard at the best of times, people need support, so as I grow, learn and make progress i want to share my experiences in the hope of helping others do the same.
4/4