How to Relieve Stress at Work- Read these 11 Tips

Introduction

Everyone in his life sooner or later has to deal with stress. Whether it is stress at work or during your study or at home. And in times of economic crisis, the pressure within many companies will increase and there are more and more people experiencing stress.

More young people

It has recently been discovered that there are also more and more young people who have to deal with stress. Especially the last one is a worrisome development. On the internet, thousands of articles can be found about reducing stress. So the knowledge is there. But why does it not work?

After explaining stress, I will give you 11 tips to relieve stress at work. My number 11 will also give you the ultimate and perfect solution to get rid of stress once and for all. 

 

Definition of stress

Stress is defined by HSE in the UK  as The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demands placed on them at work. Stress is not an illness – it is a state. However, if stress becomes too excessive and prolonged, mental and physical illness may develop, something everybody should avoid at all times!

Pressure

There is a difference between pressure and stress. Pressure can be a positive and a motivating factor, and it is often an essential part in a job. It can help us achieve our goals and perform better. Stress occurs when this pressure becomes excessive. Stress is a natural reaction to too much pressure.

Sneaking in

From personal experience, I know this is an insidious danger. It just sneaks in, slowly but surely. I only knew after finishing a 3-year contract, how bad my mental and physical condition really was. After half a year I felt better or next to normal again. I cannot emphasize this enough: do not let stress get the better of you and I urge you to follow the below tips.

1. Do not live for a fata morgana

Do not think ‘someday it will get better’. Or do you contemplate what you are going to do after your pension every day? Then try to remind yourself that today is at least as important as any future day after your retirement if you are lucky enough to go that far. Therefore do not miss a day until the day has gone, otherwise, you will miss out on a lot!

If by the same token, you live from vacation to vacation, then it is time to think about your realities. These are today! Looking forward to something is different from dreaming about a future that might never come. Try and do things, all things, as good as you can on a day-to-day basis. This will give you a lot of satisfaction and self-esteem.

2. No more worries about deadlines

Here you have to understand that it is not the deadlines that cause you to stress, but the worry about it. Will we make them or will we not? Any self-pity,  complaining and especially blaming of others does not help you at all. They are energies lost, of which you have so much each day.

Consider how often you worry about a deadline or complain, but you will still need to work on them. Be honest to yourself and admit that this leads to stress and that you can spend your energy better. So stop worrying about them and who knows, eventually you can even have peace with deadlines.

3. Ensure meetings are less boring

Go into meetings with a different attitude. Do not look at meetings as a boring intermezzo or a necessary evil. They will always be there. Instead, look at them to give you a lot of positive energy. Experts have discovered that two secret recipes make meetings less boring. The first: Ensure that you are really present, meaning that you do not let your thoughts wander. This way you can add a lot more to the meeting. The second recipe: try to take something positive from every meeting you need to attend. Listen carefully in the hope that you hear something you did not know.

4. Make friends with your colleagues

Receptionist, secretary, department assistant or back office employee. Being nice to people can make your life a lot easier. This will result in indefinable things like protecting your privacy, no annoying salesmen who will transfer them to you, remind you of important matters, help you set priorities, etc. It will cost you nothing, but there will be a payback.

It can also be useful to get to know your colleagues better. Not knowing your colleagues properly can cause a lot of misunderstanding in a team, which in turn can lead to more stress. 

5. Accept that you sometimes have a bad day

Sometimes everything really goes wrong. Nothing wrong with that, we have to face the fact that we all have hopeless days. Accept that it will happen to you occasionally and you will see that you experience less stress because of this. And do not ask yourself the question ‘Why should this happen to me now?’ Try laughing at it (no matter how hard it can sometimes be) and make the most of it.

6. Income must fit your way of life?

Imagine this: the satisfaction of the level of your income is overshadowed by the stress it takes to maintain your way of life. You may feel that you no longer have a life next to your work, but you would still like that. If your way of life gets the better of you, this can be a painful source of stress. Your life would be a lot less stressful if you released yourself from it. So look carefully at your way of life.

Where does the stress really come from? Is it because you look at others and you want their kind of life? The only way to get out of this is to have a really good look at yourself and assess what it is you exactly want, without looking at others. I would not go playing golf because so many do it, but because I like playing golf.

7. Do nothing for 10 minutes a day

I think everybody will be able to comply with this one. A few minutes of idleness or sitting still gives you the opportunity to see everything in the right proportions and to gain access to that quiet place in your brain where your wisdom and common sense resides. Your mind then gets the time to come to a new setting. After ten minutes you have the feeling that life is coming at you less quickly, making everything seem easier. If you would be able to empty your mind for a short period every day, it can help you to reduce your stress. Yoga and meditation can help out here.

8. Accept chaos

Henry Adams once said that chaos is the law of nature and order is a man’s dream. So if something cannot be avoided then surrender, accept it with open arms and something miraculous will happen. If you give up the need to control your environment or predict certain results, you learn to work in a chaotic environment without suffering. You begin to experience the chaos with a certain mental calmness, humor and a sense of proportion. From this attitude, you can reduce your stress.

9. Do not let your ego get in your way

The ego in you constantly wants to prove that you are unique and the ego has only one task: to maintain itself. Just think about how stressed you become when you always compare yourself with others and put yourself on a lower level. It is very exhausting to worry about what others think of you. Stop your ego from doing its devastating work. Keep your thoughts and behavior in check. Humility and patience are the keywords here.

10. Do not let a demanding boss get to you

This is one of the most important tips I can give you. Do you have a demanding or ass hole boss? Try to see the irony of it. Probably your boss is stuck in his demanding role. In addition, he (or she) is probably demanding towards all employees, so do not take it personally. It is often the demanding people who are able to bring out the best in you. So ask yourself the question: how often has your demanding boss brought out the best in you? That thought can help you to experience your demanding boss as less stressful.

But if he or she really behaves like a jerk and you see no way out? Then tip 11 can be of great help to you.

11. Start your own (internet) business

If none of the above would work in your particular situation, I would highly recommend you to leave that company and either find another job or become your own boss by building your own (internet) business. This is what I did in late 2014.

So much to do, but choose right

The possibilities especially the internet are legion, so it would be a challenge to find the right one, as I did. In order to start building your own website, grow it, get the traffic you will need professional support. I happen to be part of the world’s best such organization: Wealthy Affiliate. Established in 2005 it has helped hundreds of thousands of people find their way in building their own business. I have fully reviewed this unique and scam-free opportunity, where you can also sign-up for a week for FREE. See my review by clicking here.

If you would have any questions, please feel free to put them in the comment box and I will react within 24 hours.