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6 Ways To De-Stress At Work

Monday 6 August 2018

6 minute read

By Rachael Farley

Is your 9-5 grind getting you down? Relieving your workplace stress can be a pain to solve.

However, it’s important to take action to manage your stress before it develops into something more serious. 

In the UK, 12.5 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2016/17. [Source - HSE]

Everyone is different so one method may work for you, but not for one of your colleagues. Be considerate of others’ ways of dealing with stress when trying to eliminate your own.

Get a Head Start

Do you love a lie in? This could be one of the factors getting your day off to a stressful start. If you wake up early and get to work on time, you’ll be far more prepared for the day than if you were to rush around in the morning. 

Try setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier than you normally would; have some breakfast, read a book, watch tv… whatever it takes to make yourself alert and ready to face the day.

Plan Ahead

Prioritisation is key. Whether you prefer a physical notepad to jot down your tasks or an online to-do list like Todoist, write down everything that needs to be done in the same day and what can wait until a later date. Then, if a random job comes in, you’ll be able to fit it around your existing tasks, rather than worrying about working overtime.

Organise Your Desk

If your brain is awry with lots of different tasks, your working environment may replicate how you’re feeling. A desk littered with files, post-it notes and discarded stationery is no good for anyone. Spare a few moments to organise your desk by shredding some unwanted papers or completely reshuffling your workspace. Remember a tidy desk equals a tidy mind!

Listen to Relaxing Music

While some people work best with little noise, others tend to find their mojo with some background music. Pop your earphones in and listen to the genre that works for you. While classical music is thought to be the most relaxing, you may find a upbeat dance track more motivating. Just make sure you don’t pick something too distracting. 

Take Some Deep Breaths

Sometimes it’s best to take things back to basics. When you’re stressed, your breathing tends to become quicker. Step away from your desk and have five minutes taking some deep breaths. Once you’ve got a clear mind, you can deal with whatever triggered your stress in a rational manner. 

Laughter Is the Best Medicine

Work getting on top of you? Just laugh. It might sound crazy but laughter has been found to activate and relieve your stress response, giving you that relaxed feeling. Listen to a colleague’s funny story or watch the latest viral video to unwind.

Find more like this via Office Life.

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