No one is immune from running into stress at work, but Helen Evans* has five tips to help keep the work-life balance right and avoiding burnout.
It’s no secret that work can be stressful. Even in your dream job, you’ll find that work has a way of adding stress and anxiety to your life.
Tight deadlines, unrealistic bosses and impossible demands can make you feel drained, angry and stressed.
Some people even have restless nights because of the stress work puts on them — but ripping out your hair because of work isn’t the answer to your problems.
Every employee needs to find a perfect work-life balance in their job, and there are several ways to beat stress at work.
Here are five ways to overcome job stress and be a happier you.
Use your lunch to exercise
If you wear a suit to work or are thinking “this person is nuts”, just think about all of the time wasted at lunch.
A quick 10-to-20-minute walk and a stretch in the bathroom stall or at your desk will cause your body to release endorphins.
Endorphins make you happy. If you’re stressed to your limit, you can quickly eliminate stress by getting moving.
Go out to lunch
You’re in the heat of the moment, your emotions are high and you remain in the environment that is making you stressed.
It’s no wonder why stress keeps piling on. What you can do to alleviate this stress is simply go out to lunch.
A quick departure from work will allow stress levels to subside.
If you don’t have enough time to sit down and have a meal, pack a picnic basket and head to the nearest park.
Don’t over-commit
Employees have a sense of honour to their employers, and this isn’t a bad thing, but you also need to stop over-committing.
When you go above and beyond the call of duty, your employer will keep expecting the same dedication from you time and time again.
Working night and day to get projects done shows commitment, but it can easily be taken advantage of by employers.
Instead, be a committed employee that knows when to say no.
Learn to schedule your day in advance
Scheduling out your day properly is the key to success as an employee.
If you don’t learn to schedule your day properly, you’ll find you have too much work; work you can’t handle.
A tip from the most successful people in the world is to schedule your day or week in advance.
When you make a schedule in advance, you know what to expect and can better prepare for your day.
You don’t have to worry about being overworked or stressed.
Use a pen, a calendar and pad, a pocket calendar, an organiser or anything that will help to organise everything in a simplified manner.
Take regular breaks
We live in a society that revolves around work. Our very existence is work-related.
Yet while you may like to take the initiative to work through breaks and lunch, it’s better to take regular breaks.
A regular break allows you to rest your mind and rejuvenate your creativity.
Regular breaks can be as simple as a coffee break away from your desk or as robust as a long vacation — you earned it.
Try getting up from your desk every half-hour.
Even if you have the job you like, sooner or later you may face the problem of stress.
If this occurs, you can adopt these several methods to deal with it.
In order not to run into a situation when you need to take emergency measures, try to avoid stressful situations.
So take care of yourself, and the body will resist stress at work steadfastly.
*Helen Evans is a job search expert who writes about job-hunting tips.
This article first appeared on the Lifehack website.
