Stress has become a common problem for more than 85% of the world’s total population, sometimes people don’t know they are taking stress, we mean sometimes it’s hard to identify and sometimes people ignore stress and don’t take precautionary steps.

Stress is harmful to your body, it destroys your mind and overall health, after the pandemic the stress level of common people had increased dramatically. The working professionals had suffered and currently suffering from the stress work. What happens when we continue “burning the candle at both ends” until we reach physical and emotional exhaustion? Just like the candle itself, we risk burning ourselves out.

Stress at work is like heat you won’t feel the stress until you burnt your hand. And once you burnt your hand you find a place to escape.

Have you ever experienced a slow acceptance of the pressures around you, until everything is “just too much” and you can barely cope?

If so, you’re not alone. About 8.3 million American adults were reported to have experienced serious psychological distress in 2017 (“More Americans suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression, study finds,” 2018).

Now the question is how to deal with the stress? And how Stress Management plays a vital role to relieve stress at work? With this article, we will try to find out some techniques that are helpful to uplift your emotions and mood.

What is Stress Management?

It is a set of techniques and programs intended to help people deal more effectively with stress in their lives by analyzing the specific stressors and taking positive actions to minimize their effects.

Symptoms of stress

Every people experience stress differently but some common symptoms include:

• Difficulty sleeping;
• Weight gain or weight loss;
• Stomach pain;
• Irritability;
• Teeth grinding;
• Panic attacks;
• Headaches;
• Sweaty hands or feet;
• Heartburn;
• Excessive sleeping;
• Fatigue;
• Nausea;

More examples of stress symptoms can be found here at The American Institute of Stress website.

5 Different Stress Management Techniques

We will highlight those Stress Management Techniques which can be done easily and are realistic to perform by anyone.

1. Be Self-Assured

Clear and to the point communication is the key to being assertive or self-assured. When we’re assertive, we can ask for what we want or need, and also explain what is bothering us. The key is doing this fairly and firmly while still having empathy for others. Once you identify what you need to communicate, you can stand up for yourself and be proactive in altering the stressful situation.

Think, pause, and then communicate, you should know why are you talking to people and this can bring out the solution, which will lead to bringing down the stress level.

2. Assertions and Imagery

The power of positive imagery and assertions is now scientifically proven to increase/maximize positive emotion and uplift the mood.

How? When you think of a positive experience, your brain perceives it to be a reality. Great leaders say, think positive and your body movement will be positive and thus your overall approach will be positive.

So, replace those negative thoughts with positive statements and challenge and change the way you see and experience the world.

3. Diet and Exercise

Proper diet and exercise play a crucial role in uplifting mood, oily and fast food is bad for your health and it makes you lazy and your body responds to it accordingly. And exercise for at least half an hour is to recharge your body.

Be mindful of having a balanced and healthy diet. Making easy changes, such as reducing your alcohol intake, caffeine, and sugar intake is a proven way of reducing anxiety.

Another guaranteed way to reduce stress is exercise. It’s proven to also be as effective as antidepressants in relieving mild depression.

4. Talk it out

Don’t hold it all inside speak up. Talk to your colleague or someone who is closer to you. Tell them about your concerns that are letting you down. Sharing worries can eliminate half of your stress and it can give some light moments you can cherish.

If you don’t feel up to sharing or if you’re not comfortable sharing your problems face to face then, writing them down is also a great way to release them. Or maybe engage with an independent professional. There are multiple services available, including free services, which you can quickly search to find what’s available in your city.

5. Sleep

You must have heard that good sleep is very important to stay active in your life. As per research, a person should at least take a nap of 7-8 hours and it is recommended globally.

The sleeping hours vary for every individual, overall whatever is your sleeping time is, you should sleep at least the hours recommended. Adequate sleep will keep you mentally and physically relaxed. Overall it will keep you physically fit and proactive.

Lack of sleep might put you in trouble and you will face issues like.

•         Anger
•         Irritation
•         Laziness
•         Sleepy
•         Mentally exhausted
•         Burnout
•         Lack on concentration

Stress Management In The Workplace

Whether it be extended hours, crunchy deadlines, additional work pressure, or unappreciative bosses, workplace stress is something every professional must be familiar with.

According to the World Health Organization’s definition, occupational or work-related psychosocial stress “is the response people may have when presented with work demands and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities and which challenge their ability to cope.” (Leka, Griffiths, & Cox, 2003)

But the side effects of workplace stress are not only isolated to the workplace; they affect our relationships and our overall productivity.

Duke University found that workplace stress was responsible for over 70% of workplace accidents, 50% of absenteeism, and over $300 billion in associated costs (“Stress Facts in the Workplace,” 2018).

Stress Relief Activities & Exercises

Relaxing music

Music can heal your tear-down emotions, a good soft relaxing music can keep you calm.

Deep breathing

A long deep breath is one of the fastest meditations for effective stress relief.

Yoga

21st June is celebrated as World Yoga Day, and Yoga has been practiced across the globe. Yoga helps to keep you calm and helps you to stay physically fit.

Take Away Message

In 2020, around 32% of American’s reported that their stress levels increased significantly (The American Psychological Association, 2018).

In reality, it could be more than that. They’re all signaling us to take action. The good news is we can and soon we will. The resources are here. All we need to do is listen and retaliate using a realistic stress management plan adapted from the extensive list above.

Thanks for reading!

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Karan Jain

Born in the family of entrepreneurs and have inherited the same. Started building applications in order to pay for my tuition. Later founded a tech company, marketing agency, and media outlets.