7 effective ways to handle stress at work

Be self-aware and create order, for starters...
Under 50s who regularly work more than 10 hours a day for more than 10 years are most at risk, the study found.
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Amy Harris3 November 2016

It's no secret that Londoners lead stressful lives. And that one of the major causes of stress comes from long hours in fast-paced working environments.

Last year, the number of working days lost in the UK due to stress was 11.7 million. Recently, it was reported that work-related stress and anxiety has hit an all-time high.

If your career is causing you to lose sleep, you need to take action.

Below, the founders of mental wellbeing app Remente share their top tips on how to combat stress in the office.

Identify the source of stress

While it is easy to know what is causing you stress after a major life event, like moving home, it can be more challenging in the office. To figure out what is increasing your stress levels, you should assess your work habits and emotions. Do you always think of stress as an integral part of work, are you overwhelmed with deadlines or are you frustrated by poor management or cooperation? Once you identify the source, the resulting stress will be easier to manage.

Gain control of your work

Stress in the workplace is primarily due to feeling out of control. For example, stress can occur when you feel that you are working exceptionally hard, but not seeing an end goal – a full mailbox is a good example; you might feel like you are handling the situation and filtering them away, but they just keep coming, or if you do not understand where the company or department is heading. When we are not seeing what our efforts are leading to, we stop believing that it matters what we do, as the effect seems to be the same in the end. It is therefore of great importance that the management team is clear about the company vision and the specific and individual goals. It is only with the goal in place that we can think of ways of achieving it and knowing that our actions are having an effect. With this in place, work stress will be released and you will feel happier in the office.

Create order

Since stress is related to not feeling like you are in control, it is beneficial to take a step back and look at the whole picture. For example, if you are feeling that you don’t have enough time to do all your work tasks, you could try writing all of them down, separating them into categories, prioritising tasks within each category and then scheduling when you should do what. Once you have the list in order, work through it step by step and your stress levels should abate. There are a number of apps that can help you with this – from Remente which allows you to create and set goals, to apps like Wunderlist, which let you create straightforward lists and tick the tasks at you go along.

Become solution focused

A great way to stay calm and not lose your head in a frustrating work situation is to always focus on solutions. A lot of the time, work stress can make us feel as if there is no possible solution and that we are trapped in a situation – always thinking about possible solutions will not only keep you calm and rational, but will also help you solve the problem at hand.

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Self-awareness

A lot of the time, the things that cause us stress are reoccurring situations or certain behaviours from people around us. Once you identify what these are, you can raise your self-awareness, providing yourself with a list of behaviours to choose from – listening to music, breathing deeply, taking time before coming to a decision or drinking a glass of water. Over time, these will become your natural responses and you won’t feel like you are about to lose your calm.

Relax at your desk

With hundreds of tried and tested relaxation techniques available, you are bound to find one that will work for you no matter how much time you have available and where you are. It definitely takes time to find the right technique, but you can experiment with breathing exercises or meditation, all of which are easy and quick to do at your desk as you work.

Step Away

While some stressors might demand your immediate attention, others can be postponed to a later date, or simply to a more appropriate time. If the stressor isn’t an emergency, make a note of it on a post-it and dedicate a time to think about it later. This way, the stress won’t impact the rest of you day and the time away will provide you with perspective.

Remente is a mental wellbeing app, founded by Niels Eék, a psychologist, and Niklas Forser, a business coach; remente.com

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