We live in a fast paced world and are suffering from stress. Learning how to alleviate it can save us more than we think.
Welcome to Work 2.0, the Stress related causes of the 21st century
Work related stress is experienced by a majority of Americans, and the statistics seem to be increasing at a steady rate. Technology has instilled the idea of a “face paced” work environment where work can follow you home on your cellphone and your computer, essentially mending connections between work related stress and your personal life. To add to work technologies infiltration into our personal lives, our economy is still picking up pieces of itself and many Americans feel underpaid or unwanted; having a college degree these days and a few jobs under your belt doesn’t mean what it used to. These two stress inducing factors combine to create a work environment where employees are over-working to keep their job while also allowing their job to come home into their personal life so they can get as much as they can done to secure their job for the future. While this may seem to be the best way to run a business (giving your 100%, 100% of the time) eventually you may run out of steam, lose morale, or lose the love you once had for your job (ever hear people saying they were “burnt out”?); all of these factors can be linked to work related stress. What other problems can stress cause?
Issues related to stress
As I am sure you are aware, stress is healthy in small doses and very bad in large doses. Large amounts of stress can cause increased cortisol which packs on pounds (the kind of pounds that aren’t appealing); it can cause insomnia (severe trouble sleeping), headaches, depression, and many other symptoms that are detrimental to a high quality of life. Depression, perhaps one of the most draconian consequences associated with stress, can cause havoc on your body, both mental and physical, and is currently one of the most common mental issues American’s deal with.
How to manage and overcome workplace Stress
Workplace stress can definitely be managed and perhaps even overcome completely, but there are certain steps that individuals should take to make this happen. One of the greatest ways to manage work related stress is by organizing your day to put yourself in control, not time or random chance.
Organize your days to be Productive and Managed
Prioritize your next day the night before, instead of scrambling in the morning to figure out what moves you are going to take.
This is a simple technique that can provide a lot of benefits. Planning or prioritizing your next day the night before allows you to:
- Realize what your next day has in store for you so you can plan appropriately instead of scrambling in the morning
- Set realistic deadlines so you can dodge the feeling of being rushed
- Organize your day to allow some time to do something relaxing for yourself; perhaps reading a book, writing in a journal, or just taking a quick nap. Escaping stress is a great way to decrease the overall stress you could incur on a day to day basis.
Try Meditation to Relieve work related stress
Mediation is an ancient art that helps connect the body and the mind (and if done religiously, one could say the spirit) and releases stress due to its ability to either put you in the current moment (so you don’t have to worry about what’s ahead) or put you in a state of relaxation by emptying your mind completely. A very well documented form of meditation called “Mindfulness meditation” is one of the best ways to decrease stress that is commonly practiced in the Western world. I have actually had the honor of being in a seminar with a faculty member from UCLA that taught mindfulness techniques that she had picked up during her studies for her doctorate and while traveling the world, and it was incredible how different the seminar participants looked prior to the seminar and after it. Everyone had a look of calmness and happiness on their faces after the seminar was through. This faculty member explained how meditation can actually be more stress relieving than prescriptions drugs in the long-term and perhaps even short-term (depending on the drug and the meditation practitioners experience) and recommended it as a way to relieve work related stress. Mindfulness mediation is free to do, easy to learn, and most of the resources that cover its practice can be found online at no cost to you.
Exercise before or after work
Exercise has been proven, time and time again, to be an eliminator of stress. If you go onto a search engine and type in anything about CEO’s and their exercise habits, you will find out how often CEO’s attribute health, success, and a clear mind to exercise. One such CEO that loves to workout is Nike’s CEO, Mark Parker, who apparently works out an hour or two prior to work (the face of Nike is really standing for his company culture).If a CEO can de-stress from exercise, then I am sure you can too (also, from the readings I have encountered, the minority of CEO’s that didn’t exercise said they know they should because of its benefits). Why not try to start your day with an early morning jog around town; it won’t only clear your head, but it will make you more alert for the hours ahead. Perhaps starting a company basketball team or paintball team (it is actually becoming very popular because trust is used extensively in paintball. The more pain, the more gain?) will be a good way to get employees together to help ensure everyone keeps up with their exercising goals (this also helps team morale).
Don’t have time for meditation and exercise? Why not try to mix them together with Yoga?
Yes, I did say yoga, and I am looking at both guys are girls on this one. Yoga has been proven to be a great mixture of mediation and exercise, and these days, it is a cool activity for both men and women. Yoga also comes with the added bonus of offering different classes, such as weight lifting yoga or restorative yoga.
Find ways to curb stress, you will be thankful for it later in life
It is a whole lot easier to grab a beer or snack and watch television when you come home from work, but for your health and stress, maybe you should give your brain and body a nice big “thank you” and take an hour jog outside. Down the road, you will be thanking yourself.
Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions, feel free to comment here or go to the contact page. Have a great day!
References:
Gallo, Carmine. “How Successful Leaders Attain Superhuman Energy Before Most People Wake Up.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 June 2014.
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