5 Quick and Easy Ways to Reduce Stress at the Office

At times, it might seem like you hate your job, and it might seem like your job hates you, but in reality, you’re probably just in need of a better daily routine and a sound battle plan to overcome stressful situations. Yes, between the people at the office who are not doing their job properly, to the people who don’t know how to do their job so you have to take over, all the way to the laptop that keeps freezing up, you have every right to feel stressed.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Now, before we get into the concrete tips and tricks on how to destress and fall back in love with your job, let’s get one thing clear: nothing is worth risking your long-term health for. So, stop worrying so much and focus on fixing the things that make you feel like you’re about to go all Rambo on everyone’s derriere. Here’s what you can do. 

Perfecting your morning routine

A stress-free workday starts in the morning, way before you get stuck in the morning commute on your way to the office. Firstly, how about waking up a bit earlier in order to get a head start? A half an hour will do, as it should give you plenty of time to prep breakfast, send the kids off to school, pick your winning outfit of the day, and head out.

If this routine is to succeed though, you need to stay consistent, and you need to rise well-rested each morning. Be sure to start going to bed earlier and at the same time every night to ensure a solid eight-hour sleep cycle. Get up at the first sound of the alarm, put on your favorite tunes, and get cracking.

Know exactly what you need to do

In the battle against work-related stress, it pays to know exactly what you need to be doing throughout the day. When you get to the office, it’s important that you have a routine and a clear vision of your every task, and how to complete them. This means that you need to keep a workflow schedule on your smartphone that will notify you of your appointments and tasks, but also keep you from procrastinating.

Set a timer for every task, be realistic instead of restrictive, and most importantly, note down every hour of your workday. What this does is helps you stay on the right track and avoid distractions, but it also influences your mindset to be more goal-oriented. This is especially important for people who have difficulty saying no to colleagues, and thus take on more than they can handle – which, of course, leads to stress.

Optimize your work environment

Keeping an organized schedule and an organized mind is important, but you also need to optimize your workspace. This doesn’t just mean keeping the clutter at bay, it also means personalizing your workspace to fit your needs. You can surround yourself with personal knick-knacks that can help you destress, such as custom stressballs that carry a personalized message telling you that it’s all going to be okay, for example. It’s this type of details that can make a workspace feel less intimidating, and more like a personal oasis where you can destress throughout the day and regain your focus and zeal.

Aside from the things you can squish safely while you work, be sure to surround your workstation with personal belongings that bring a smile to your face. A photo of your kids, a photo of your dream car, it doesn’t matter, the only thing that matters is that it makes you happy. Add a small potted plant to the corner of the desk, and voila, you have yourself a personal oasis!

Eat, hydrate, and exercise

Ask any life coach or an experienced employee who has climbed the corporate ladder with a smile on their face and they will tell you just how important it is to take care of your body if you are to retain a positive outlook on life. 

If you allow yourself to go hungry, thirsty, or if you sit for too long, you are depriving your body of the essential nutrients it needs to prevent the dreaded brain fog, while the lack of activity will start taking a toll on your entire body. Keep that protein bar close at hand, buy a water jug, and be sure to get up and about every hour.

No matter what, don’t fight

Efficient and effective communication is one of those crucial elements of not wanting to punch your coworkers in the face. Whatever you do, you mustn’t allow the things people say or do (or don’t do) produce an emotional reaction on your part, because when you act emotionally, you tend to get angry. And the moment you get angry is the moment your cortisol levels shoot up.

Instead, put a smile on your face, and simply talk to your colleagues. Ask anything and everything you want to know, communicate every problem, and point out their mistakes in a professional manner. What you will find is that you are better able to do your job when you have all of the necessary information, while standing up for yourself in a controlled and composed manner helps you stay positive throughout the day.

Stress is cumulative, and if you allow yourself to get emotionally triggered day after day, sooner or later all of that pent-up stress is going to take a toll on your emotional and psychological health. Use these tips and tricks to stay Zen, smile, and wave the negativity away.