Work-related stress is the second most frequently reported health problem. White-collar workers in particular experience more mentally and/or emotionally demanding jobs due to factors such as high time pressure, irregular or long hours and a growing workload. Let’s talk about how you can reduce your stress at work and improve your mental health beyond.
Improve your work-life balance
This can greatly reduce your stress as it will lead to improved mental health and wellbeing, a positive mood, fewer burnouts, increased productivity, greater motivation and so on. While this sounds easier said than done, there are a few boundaries you can set to make this more manageable. The ways that you can improve your work-life balance is as follows:
Learn to say no – this can be one of the hardest soft skills to learn but it is important for setting boundaries and ensuring you don’t have too much on your plate, so you don’t end up working extra long hours catching up.
Use your breaks – breaks during the day are there to allow you to reset and refresh so you come back engaged and productive.
Switch off – as soon as you finish work, forget about it. Spend your evenings doing things you enjoy; work on yourself, rest, get enough sleep, see friends/family. Working all the time can make you feel incredibly lonely, so make sure to nurture your personal relationships as well as work ones.
Time management
Review your daily tasks and responsibilities, both during work and outside of work, to create a balanced schedule. Make sure to avoid underestimating how long each task will take as well as scheduling too much in one day. Deadlines are a part of your day-to-day schedule, so try to mitigate the potential stress of these by using organisers or time-management apps to keep on top of everything.
Task management
If a project seems overwhelming, break it up into smaller, more manageable steps. Make to-do lists every day in order of priority so the least necessary tasks are at the bottom, and it won’t be the end of the world if you don’t complete them. Practicing monotasking, can also be helpful in ensuring you avoid distractions and confusion. As a senior member of staff, sometimes you need to let go of the desire to always be in control and instead delegate responsibility to people who are able to take care of certain tasks. This will take away some of your unnecessary stress and pressure.
This is your reminder to not get too caught up with your job and look after yourself. In turn this will allow you to become more productive, motivated and generally positive at work. If you are struggling and needs some advice or guidance, we have compiled a list of good wellbeing and mental health resources that you can use below, either for yourself or to share with your staff: