Stress is one of the things that a lot of employees deal with on a regular basis in their work. But before it gets out of hand, it's important for employees to do something about it, and there are ways on how to properly deal with stress.
The American Psychology Association said that any job can have a stressful element to them. And loving what an employee is doing is not an exempted from stress.
Though it is common, experiencing chronic stress from work is not healthy. It's harmful physically and emotionally to employees.
Greatist reports that not only are employees suffering from the stress but businesses as well. Stress is costing US businesses billions of dollars annually in lost work hours and medical bills.
So how can an employee deal with stress, especially when it becomes chronic already? Here are 5 tips on who employees can deal with stress at work
The first tip is to develop healthy habits. One of the things that employees usually do when they are stressed is to eat unhealthy foods, smoke, or drink alcohol. Not only do are these activities unhealthy to the body, they actually contribute little to a person trying to de-stress.
So instead of doing these unhealthy activities, exercise, get enough sleep and eat healthy foods. Exercise helps the body release positive chemicals that can fight off stress and enough sleep helps employees re-charge and clear their minds. Eating healthy foods help nourish the body and prepare it for whatever challenges that are ahead.
The second tip is to learn how to develop a work-life balance. With today's digital world, there's a growing pressure that employees become accessible 24/7. Unfortunately, this is not healthy, as constantly thinking about work, even when you are home, means you're also taking that stress with you.
Learn to set boundaries within yourself, like not checking work emails when there's no work that day, or learning to say no to overtimes and working on weekends. Employees can even talk to their supervisors if they have to, especially if they are already being overworked, to lessen their load and achieve work-life balance.
The next tip is to recharge and relax. More often than not, employees put off taking a vacation or at least a break from work, in fear of being swamped once the break or vacation is over. This is actually contributing more stress than helping.
Taking a break to recharge can help relieve stress and work burnout and allow the employee to replenish and return to his or her pre-stress level to function properly. Taking a break to recharge or relax doesn't have to be a long vacation, as a simple daily meditation to help clear the mind can go a long way to helping the employee cope with stress.
The fourth tip is to get support. It's important for employees to know that they are not in this alone. Close friends and family members can help an employee better manage the stress that work is giving him or her.
There are also stress management resources that employees can tap to help them de-stress. There's nothing wrong with getting professional help, especially if that help can help the employee take some of the stress he or she is feeling.
The last tip would be for the employee to know that there's more to work. Sometimes employees tend to associate themselves too much to their work that they believe their success and failure at work will define who they are. That is further from the truth.
It's important for employees to remember that there's more to life than the work they are doing and that the success or failure that they experience work will not define them. Stressed employees should take time off to rediscover their passion and creativity, their calling in life. Doing this will help them see the bigger picture and not let their work dictate their life too much.
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