One of the most common causes of workplace depression and burnout is stress. If you find your work stressful and taxing, you might be looking for some ways to help reduce and manage your stress levels. It might feel difficult to do so when you’ve got tons of responsibilities and workplace stressors, but there are some techniques you can try to help yourself relax.
How to Combat Workplace Stress
Breathing Techniques
Take a deep breath, and then slowly exhale it. Count to ten as you do so. Put all of your worries and issues out of your mind. Treat this breathing meditation as your way to expel stress from your body, breathing it out slowly and letting yourself relax. Repeat this technique a few times, as needed. You can also try to simply change your normal breathing pattern to be deeper and go on for longer.
This practice is good for a number of reasons. The extra oxygen you take in from breathing deeply helps you to calm down by slowing your nervous system. Breathing deeply can activate your parasympathetic nervous system, allowing you to relax and calm your mind.
Take a Walk
If your workplace is conductive to it, take a walk. If not, try going for a walk before or after work. Just get out of your normal space and go for a stroll around your workplace, in your neighborhood or in a park. Just try to get out and take it easy. Walking is great because it allows you to do nothing at all, letting you be alone with your thoughts as you actively do nothing.
Walks through your favorite areas are great for relaxing. This is because you’re able to slowly take in your surroundings, with no responsibilities bearing down on you. Unlike driving, which can be stressful, walking around aimlessly doesn’t include that same feeling of rushing that you get when going to work or to the store.
Gum
Chewing gum can be a great way to help you work out some stress. If you’re at work and feeling some pressure bearing down on you, pop out some gum and go to town. Chewing it allows you to work out nervous energy and aggression, chomping away while you focus and try to de-stress. Just make sure you’re not annoying the people around you.
Make sure it’s a flavor you like, too! Mint tends to be a good calming flavor, while cinnamon might be a bit on the hot side for someone trying to relax. You know your preferences, so make it something that you know will help you to focus and relax.
Stress Ball
Keeping a stress ball or some similar object close at hand while you work can be a good way to directly address your stress. Squishy, resistant objects make great stress balls or stress devices, as they allow you to mush them and squish them without destroying them. People often feel restless and aggressive when they’re stressed out, so having a stress or worry ball to crush repeatedly can be rather healthy.
Meditation
Try to meditate when you need to clear your mind and center yourself. Meditation techniques take many different forms, from the overtly religious to the purely psychological. Whatever your beliefs, meditation has been proven to help people to relax and focus. Try a few simple meditation techniques that take only a few minutes. You can step away from your work duties for a moment, gather your thoughts and center yourself, then return to work feeling mentally reinvigorated. This not only helps your stress levels, but helps you to get your work done more efficiently.