Stress in itself is natural to human beings. When your brain detects a threat, your body’s fight-or-flight response kicks in, producing hormones that are intended to help us survive dangerous situations. But the threat we face today has certainly evolved since the time of our early ancestors. We’re no longer facing basic human survival, we’re battling the fact that the average business person has 30 – 100 projects on their plate at one time and is interrupted on average 7 times per hour.
Too much stress is a health hazard, and is linked with disease incidence as well as reduction in productivity. Since April is National Stress Awareness Month, we at InMovement wanted to share our top 8 tips for managing stress at the workplace.
Get Out of your Chair Studies have linked too much sitting time with psychological distress. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a ten minute movement break to clear your mind. Stroll outside, take a few laps around your office building or walk up and down the stairs. Whatever you choose, walking boosts stress-reducing endorphins and gives you a quick energy boost.
Practice Office Stretches Stress can cause your muscles to contract and become tense. Try some simpledesk stretches to ease tension and get your blood flowing. Plus, the short mental break will help you regain focus so you can tackle those workplace tasks that are stressing you out.
Focus on One Task at a Time A mounting to-do list is a common workplace stressor. Prioritize your tasks realistically and tackle them one at a time. Multi-tasking can be less effective with regards to success and decreases the quality of your work.
Get Enough Sleep It’s easier to be calm and collected at work when you’re well rested. Stick to a regular sleeping schedule and try not to watch any stress-inducing TV shows before turning off the lights. If you’re still having trouble sleeping at night, add more simple movement into your workplace routine, which has been shown to improve sleep quality at night.
Listen to Music What kind of music do you listen to when you want to relax? Try putting on your headphones and listening to some music that will calm you down if a meeting with your boss has you feeling overwhelmed.
Take a Deep Breath Taking a few deep breaths is a simple way to bring yourself back to balance if you’re feeling anxious. When you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax.
Use a Sit-to-Stand Desk Stand up to stress with an elevated work surface. A scientific study that introduced sit-to-stand desks at an office revealed that alternating from sitting to standing helped 71% of participants increase focus, 66% feel more productive, and 33% reduce their stress levels.
Walk and Talk it Out A stressful situation can seem much more manageable if you talk about it with someone you trust. Head over to a co-worker’s desk to discuss what’s troubling you. And if you take the long way to their desk, bonus points for the endorphin boost you’ll receive from the walk. "
Ever wish a stress superhero could save you from traffic jams, chaotic meetings, or a toddler’s tantrums? Well, you can be your own stress-busting superhero. Everybody has the power to reduce the impact of stress as it’s happening and stay in control when the pressure builds. Like any skill, learning how to squash stress in the moment takes time, experimentation, and practice, but the payoff is huge. When you know how to quickly relieve stress, you’ll be able to stay smart, productive, and focused—no matter what life throws at you.
What is the fastest way to relieve stress fast?
There are countless techniques for managing stress. Yoga, mindfulness meditation, and exercise are just a few examples of stress-relieving activities that work wonders. But in the heat of the moment—during a high-pressured job interview, for example, or a disagreement with your spouse—you can’t just excuse yourself to meditate or take a long walk. For these situations, you need something more immediate and accessible.
One of the speediest and most reliable ways to stamp out stress is by engaging one or more of your senses—sight, sound, taste, smell, touch, or movement. But since everyone is different, you’ll need to do some experimenting to discover what works best for you.",...
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When you're feeling anxious or stressed, the strategies listed below can help you cope.
Fitness Tips
For the greatest benefits of exercise, try to include at least 2½ hours of moderate-intensity physical activity (e.g. brisk walking) each week, 1¼ hours of a vigorous-intensity activity (such as jogging or swimming laps), or a combination of the two.
5 X 30: Jog, walk, bike, or dance three to five times a week for 30 minutes.
Set small daily goals and aim for daily consistency rather than perfect workouts. It's better to walk every day for 15-20 minutes than to wait until the weekend for a three-hour fitness marathon. Lots of scientific data suggests that frequency is most important.
Find forms of exercise that are fun or enjoyable. Extroverted people often like classes and group activities. People who are more introverted often prefer solo pursuits.
Distract yourself with a personal device to listen to audiobooks, podcasts, or music. Many people find it’s more fun to exercise while listening to something they enjoy.
Recruit an “exercise buddy.” It's often easier to stick to your exercise routine when you have to stay committed to a friend, partner, or colleague.
Be patient when you start a new exercise program. Most sedentary people require about four to eight weeks to feel coordinated and sufficiently in shape so that exercise feels easier."
Between meeting deadlines, making dentist appointments, and remembering to buy milk, it’s easy for anyone to get stressed. But luckily, staying calm and peaceful no matter what is happening on the outside isn’t as hard as it might sound. Next time your stress levels are starting to hit critical levels, try one of these three easy de-stressing tips.
1. Close your eyes Take a few moments to daydream. Picture yourself laying out on the beach or simply curled up reading a favorite book. By taking your mind and thoughts away from meeting that deadline, you will immediately feel a sense of calmness.
2. Just breathe Taking full, deep breaths is an easy way to relax. Inhale and fill your belly with the breath, and then slowly let it out. Feel your chest and your belly release each time and see if you can breathe more deeply with each breath. Do this ten times.
3. Relax your muscles In this exercise, focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing your muscles. If you’re sitting at a desk, tighten your leg muscles for a few seconds and then release. Move slowly up your body, ending at your face. Or, you can begin with your face and shoulders and end at your toes."
Thanks a lot for the interesting question. I agree with the most responses. Thanks so much for all contributors. Yes, stress is very serious problem. It's made from the absence of equilibrium between the needs of body and the needs of life. If we reach the equilibrium, the stress will be moved from our life. I think also, that our educations must contain theoeretical and practical sessions of stress management.
Stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure. Pressure becomes stress when you feel unable to cope. Everyone reacts differently to stress and experiences different stressors, or things that cause stress. Common stressors include work, relationships, and money. Stress can affect how you feel, think, and behave. It can also impact how your body functions. Common signs of stress include anxiety, worrisome thinking, sleeping problems, sweating, loss of appetite, and difficulty concentrating, among others. [1] It is worth taking the time to learn different strategies and techniques for managing your stress before there are serious consequences for your mental and physical well-being.
relieve stress, reduce depression and improve your cognitive function.[3] Exercise also releases endorphins, chemicals that trigger positive feelings. Here are some great ways to exercise:
Take up running. Running releases endorphins and can make you feel great after you do it. Try setting a goal for yourself, like running a 5k or 10k race. This will keep you motivated and make you feel more capable of meeting and tackling challenges.
Join a pool and swim a mile every other day. Immersing yourself in water will make you feel stronger and will wash away any of your stressful thoughts. This is also a good activity if you have any joint or muscle pain.
Take a yoga class. Yoga is not only great for you physically, but it will help you learn to regulate your breath and your mind's wanderings.
Join a team sport, like bowling, volleyball, or softball. You'll be able to make new friends and workout at the same time. In other words, you get the benefits of socialization AND exercising in one go.
Take up hiking. You'll feel less stressed if you spend more time in nature and exposed to fresh air.
“Fasten your oxygen mask before assisting others” is an all-too-familiar instruction that many of us tune out when waiting for our flight to take off. But this sage advice can not only save you in an emergency, it can save you in life and as an entrepreneur. You need to take care of yourself first so that you can take care of your family, employees and clients. If you feel overwhelmed in your business, read this first to learn how to reduce some of the stress in your life. It’s also helpful to get a refresher on the law of diminishing returns to make sure that the additional work you’re doing is actually creating a better outcome for your business.
Once you can manage your own stress, you can lead by example to create a less stressful work environment for your employees. For additional help, here are a few of my own insights based on my 20-plus years as an entrepreneur and small business advisor:
If you're suffering from acute stress or anxiety, the best port of call is your GP, who will be able to advise a correct treatment plan tailored to your needs. These methods can help alleviate the symptoms of stress and anxiety, especially if used in conjunction with traditional methods, and are helpful tools to have in your box, next time you're feeling overwhelmed.
Circuit breaker. Get your mind off the problem, it's not going anywhere, but you can. ...
Avoid caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that increases adrenaline in the body, the very hormone you are looking to reduce. ...