If there is one problem that many people tend to experience today, it’s a problem with too much stress. We may experience it at home and in our relationships, but we especially tend to experience it at work. In fact, many of us tend to feel as if we are overworked and that may not only have an effect on our mental outlook, it can even affect our physical health as well.
If you feel as if you are dealing with work overload and are feeling the stress, there are things you can do to help. Consider the following stress relief tips that work to take away some of the stress you are experiencing. It may not remove all of the work from your plate, but it can make you happier and healthier while you are dealing with it.
Prioritize – Many of us tend to live by our to do list and we may come up with a new list of things that need to be done each and every day. This can lead to much stress, but it is a cycle that should be broken. Rather than having a long list of things that need to be done every day, prioritize the list and come up with those that you are able to actually accomplish on a daily basis. It is much better if you get done what you can and then put off the rest. You may just find that many of the items on your list can be put off indefinitely.
Breathe – One of the most important things to do for stress relief during the day is to take a moment to breathe. When we are under stress, we often tend to only use the upper portion of our lungs for breathing. That is especially true if we are sitting at a desk, hunched over in front of a computer. The lower part of our lungs transfers twice as much oxygen. You need oxygen in order to thrive and a lack of oxygen can just increase your stress.
A method known as square breathing can help. It is taught to first responders as a way to cope with stress. Begin by breathing in through your nose to the count of four, hold your breath to the count of four, breathe out through your mouth to the count of four and then hold your lungs empty for the count of four. Continue with the same pace and repeat four times. You can even try it with a count of 8. It works wonders.
Chunk Your Time – One other tip that can really help to relieve stress at work is to work in smaller and very focused chunks of time. Many of us tend to try to focus on far too many things at one time and we don’t get anything accomplished as a result. The facts show that humans are not actually able to multitask as much, regardless of what we might think. The female brain can multitask better with its increased white matter that creates “freeways” between areas of the brain. So of you are a man, it’s especially important to do less multitasking. Focus on one thing and get it out of the way, then move on to the next. It is just one other way to alleviate some of the stress of being overloaded at work.
