Have you ever felt stressed out at work? You probably have the dread of staying overnight because your boss wanted you to finish some extra work. Maybe you just started off the day on a bad note and that carried out through the rest of your day. No matter what happened, you try to find ways to reduce your stress at work.
You may have looked “ways to reduce stress” online, but haven’t really found anything that worked for you. There’s no need to fear because I am giving you 8 simple ways to reduce your stress at work. These are simple things that don’t require much work.
Without further ado, let’s get this show on the road.
54321 Grounding Technique
The grounding technique is a really simple and effective way to reduce your stress at work. This technique is primarily used whenever you feel angry or upset and need to calm down. This is perfect for situations where you’re arguing with another employee or that your boss yells at you for something you didn’t do.
Either way, you can do this technique whenever you feel upset. In order to get started with this technique, you must take long, deep breaths. This is to allow you to calm down and focus on what is next to come. Think of it kind of like meditation where you relax and take deep breaths.
After you’ve calmed down for a while and got into the rhythm of breathing, follow these simple steps:
- First, focus on 5 things that you see around you (office space, co-workers, computer, etc.)
- Then, focus on 4 things you can touch around you (desk, chair, computer, legs, feet, etc.)
- After that, focus on 3 things you hear (typing, people talking, printer going off, etc.)
- Next, you focus on 2 things you can smell (fresh coffee, room atmosphere, etc.)
- Lastly, you focus on 1 thing you can taste (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, etc.)
That is essentially all you have to do in order to try this technique. It’s simple and easy to follow through. Whenever I’m doing counseling and I recommend this to someone, they always come back and tell me that it helped them.
If it can help them, it can help you too so get out there and start grounding!
Journaling
I’m pretty sure you all have heard about journaling before, so no need to get into detail about it here. I have other articles where I talk about how journaling is a great way to feel better and have better mental health, so check them out.
This is by far one of the simplest things you can do to relieve your stress at work. All you need to do is go to work and bring a notebook and something to write with. That’s it! Unlike the grounding technique, you can use journaling even when you’re in a good mood (I personally recommend).
So how does journaling work? Whenever you notice that you’re in a rut, just write whatever it is that is on your mind. You can write what is bothering you, how bad your day has been, and what you’d want your day to be.
It’s like going to school and taking a creative writing class where you solely write about yourself. How easy is it to write about yourself?
The long term benefits of journaling include lower stress levels, elevated mood, and a decrease in depressive symptoms. If those things sound good to you, then give it a try. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Meditation
This is my favorite way to reduce stress at work because of how effective it is. Meditation is perfect for calming your mind and relaxation. Even though meditation is great, it may be difficult to do when you’re at work.
You may have to meditate during your lunch break or at a time where work is slow. Even though this is a downside, the upside to this is that you can meditate anywhere. It’s not something you can only do at work.
How To Meditate At Work
In order to meditate at work, you need to either sit down or lay down on the floor. Since you’re at work, most likely you will be sitting down. After that, close your eyes and take deep breaths. As you take deep breaths, it is important for you to focus on your breathing.
Whatever thoughts come into your head, let them stay. Just try not to keep your focus on that. Doing this will allow you to accept whatever negative thoughts may enter your head.
If you’re still having some difficulty getting the hang of meditation, there are plenty of resources out there to help you. For example, you can try guided meditation which is basically someone leading the way for you. You can find multiple videos on YouTube to help you out.
Another method is through a meditation app like Headspace. With Headspace, you can listen to audio recordings of guided meditation. There are many settings for how long you want your meditation session to be, so no need to set a timer.
Prepare for a trip of relaxation, better focus, and lower stress levels with meditation.
Eat Some Food
Who could have ever thought that eating food could be a way to reduce your stress at work? Just think about it. Let’s say that you’re having a bad day at work and now it’s your lunch break. The lunch break is probably your favorite time during your work schedule because you don’t actually have to work.
For some people, you have about 30 minutes to an hour for your lunch break. That means you have plenty of time to unwind and get your mind right for the next half of work. Eating a nice, balanced meal is the perfect way to go about things.
You get more energy, which is beneficial for any type of work that you do. Also, it allows you to clear your mind and not let you think about what happened prior.
The Food Network has a list of foods that reduce stress, so take a look and see what foods you can bring on your lunch break.
Going For A Walk
Who doesn’t love a nice walk after work or during your lunch break? Honestly, this is something I do every day when I get off of work or to reduce some stress that I’m having. This literally requires no skill, no effort, and very little time.
Whenever you’re on your lunch break and having a bad day. try walking for a few minutes. Think about what happened at work and try to clear your mind. Realize that what you’ve been going through will eventually end and you can move on from it.
For those of you that didn’t know, brisk walking produces endorphins that help reduce stress. When the endorphins released, the stress hormones reduce which lowers signs of depression.
Knowing this information, it’s a no-brainer for you to go outside and give it a try. You can take a walk around nature to receive even greater benefits that most of you wouldn’t even know about.
Some benefits of walking in nature include a lower risk of depression, cancer, stress, and anxiety, improved performance, and clarity. If you’d like to learn about more benefits, check out this article. It will help you become more prepared for the rest of your day.
Use A Stress Ball
Everyone has used a stress ball at some point in their lives. It’s so common to see someone use a stress ball or have those balls swirling around in their hands and for good use. Stress balls have one primary job, which is to relieve your stress.
In school, my club used to offer them out after every event or social gathering because so many people loved them. I ended up having around 5 of them because there were so many to give out.
Previous research shows that stress balls reduce surgical anxiety when used. Research also shows that stress balls can reduce overall pain as well, which is beneficial for those that have problems with pain.
If you don’t want to physically try something or want to do something passively, stress balls are the way to go.
Get A Support Buddy
How many of you have that one friend that you can go to whenever you need something? Most likely, this person would be your support buddy. A support buddy is someone you can reach out to when you’re stressed at work.
Typically, you can have a support buddy in any kind of situation, but for this instance, we are using it for work. Whenever you’re stressed at work, just call up your friend and talk about what happened. Maybe they can give you some resources or some recommendations on how to go on from there.
The only downside to this is that your support buddy is not always going to be available whenever you need this. This is why it is important to have multiple support buddies to make sure that you do get help to reduce your stress at work.
An ideal situation would be having a support buddy at the job that you work at. You will have immediate access to that person and you can get close with that person. It’s a good way to build relationships and make your work experience much more relaxing.
If this doesn’t work to reduce your stress at work, then the next one is the perfect one for you.
Texting A Hotline
Since I am a crisis counselor, I had to put this one on this list. I’ve heard so many people text in about problems that they have at work and we were able to come up with a solution to their problems.
For those that have never used a text line before, let me give you some details on what goes on. First, you would text in on the designated number for that text line. Then, you would be in a queue until someone picks up your text.
After that, you would talk to someone about what’s been going on at work or anything that has been affecting you mentally. You would develop a plan of action for you to take in order for you to feel better. Think of it as a quick form of counseling and therapy without having to pay for anything.
It is 100% free and you improve your mental health at the same time. A perfect win-win situation right there if you ask me.
Crisis Text Line
For those that would like to get started, I recommend Crisis Text Line. I’m not doing this because I am one of the counselors there, but because it is a really good platform for those that are dealing with a serious issue.
All of the crisis counselors have been trained through an intensive training program. This program allows the counselors to handle a wide variety of mental health problems including:
- Depression
- Suicide
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Grief
- Eating Disorders
- Abuse (Sexual, Emotional, Physical)
- Relationships
- Loneliness
- Bullying
If all of those sound good, by all means, try it out. You will definitely reduce your stress at work. Hey, maybe I’ll see you over there, who knows. Just know that these 8 ways to reduce your stress at work will give you the best bang for your buck.
