How to Keep Work Stress from Impacting your Mental Health

Stress is a natural reaction to any sort of excess demand or threat. Experiencing stress at work can be unavoidable at times. Further, ongoing work-related stress can lead to mental health problems like depression or anxiety.

Here are some ways you can try to help you manage your work-related stress:

 

1. Identify the causes of stress

Identify and write down stressful situations that have been bothering you. You can utilise tools such as journals or notepads to track your stress triggers and your reactions towards them. This will allow you to gain a better insight of what is affecting you day-to-day, even if it is just one of your colleagues coughing without covering their mouth!

 

2. Utilise your support network

Keep in contact with your trusted family members and friend when stressful work situations arise. A strong supportive network can be extremely beneficial in helping you alleviate some of the built-up tension that has been weighing on your mind.

 

3. Improve your self-care routine

Self-care means taking time to do things that you enjoying doing so that you can achieve a better work life balance. Utilising self-care strategies to help manage your stress can greatly improve your mental health, lower the risk of catching an illness, and increase in energy to carry out daily activities.

 

4. Let go of being Mr. or Mrs. Perfect

If you are staying back hours after your work has ended just to find yourself being intricate about every single detail of perfecting your work report or presentation, it might be time to take a step back and reflect. It is definitely important to be consistent, responsible, and making sure work output is up to par. However, if not managed right, it could lead to high stress situations which in turn could lead to burnout.

 

5. Go on a vacation or take a break

Being able to take a break, even if it is just one or two days, can help you unwind and regulate your mind. Being able to disconnect from your job and responsibilities can give you a much-needed break to your mind and your mental health, and you could even come back to work feeling more refreshed and revitalised.

You don’t have to catch a plan to jet to the other side of the globe just to take a break. Even just taking a local staycation or planning a trip out can help you reset your mind.

 

So these are just a few ways out of many that can help you with alleviating your stress from work. Always remember that there are always support and resources out there to help you out when you feel overwhelmed with your work commitments.

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