Are you falling behind with your work commitments?
Snappy with loved ones and having trouble sleeping?
Are you working long hours yet not getting enough done?

If your job demands more than you can deliver, you could be experiencing workplace stress.
“Everyone who has had a job has, at some point, felt the pressure of work-related stress.” (American Psychological Association (2018)).

Prolonged and excessive stress can have many and various negative impacts on our mental and physical well-being.
While the highest performers can often survive and thrive in stressful environments, stress remains overwhelming and damaging for the rest of us.

5 Negative Effects of Workplace Stress

The adverse effects of workplace stress can take many forms, including the following:
Unhealthy eating
Recreational drug use
Burnout & workplace stress
Workplace stress => impact on the incidence and duration of depression
Negative effects at the company level => increased staff absence due to sickness, poor productivity, high turnover, low morale, poor motivation, and increased employee complaints.

9 Tips to Prevent Workplace Stress

Preventing and reducing workplace stress is preferable to finding ways to cope or recover.

These tips can help reduce the likelihood of feeling overloaded and overwhelmed:

• Practice self-compassion, permitting yourself to make mistakes. Rather than dwell on the past, learn from it and improve your performance.
  
  
• Picture the overall goal or purpose and reflect on the why behind your behavior.
  
  
• Use routines whenever possible. Each new task and choice takes time and creates mental tension…
  
  
• Interesting activities replenish energy. Being curious and finding something that captivates you will help you recharge.
  
  
• Add when and where to every item on your task to avoid the week slipping away without getting everything done on time.
  
  
• Consider situations and events that trigger stress. Come up with a set of if–then plans (e.g., “If X happens, I will do Y.”). Planning for the worst will leave you prepared and less stressed if it happens.
  
  
• Striving for perfection can lead to procrastination and even burnout. Focus on being good and on improving, rather than setting standards you can’t meet.
  
  
• Reflect on past successes and the progress you have already made; give yourself the credit you deserve.
  
  
• Recognize what motivates you. Life is full of opportunities; find what excites you and apply yourself to the challenge.

Stress affects us all. It doesn’t have to be this way though as stress can be managed and even become positive by addressing, reducing, or removing some of the causes.

The message

Invest time in understanding its causes, and adopt tools and techniques that reduce feelings of being overloaded and overwhelmed.

Over time, it is possible to form helpful habits, discard old negative ones, and change our relationship to stress.

I can help you with creating these clever habits!