As April is Stress Awareness Month, we thought we’d share our best stress busting techniques.
Getting stressed is nothing to be ashamed of, it happens to us all. Stress can occur for a number of different reasons and can affect all aspects of our lives.
Connect with people
Having a strong support network around you can be really beneficial, especially when you are feeling stressed. This could be made up of friends, family or work colleagues. When you’re stressed, reach out to this network and talk about how you’re feeling. Chances are, together you will be able to find a solution to what’s causing your stress.
Taking it as step further than that, often the time we spend within the company of people who make up our support groups, is time spent enjoying ourselves and relaxing, this is incredibly valuable when it comes to stress relief.
The last 12 months have proven difficult when it comes to socialising, especially as many people very quickly grew tired of zoom quizzes. If you’re not one of those people, then go ahead and arrange a quiz for you and your friends. If you’re looking for other ways to socialise why not look into apps and extensions such Netflix Party or Bookshop, or if rules permit it, why not meet a friend for a walk? Whilst it has been tricky to navigate, there are still ways to stay connected with those around you.
Make time for yourself
Dedicating time for yourself is important in managing your stress, you need to take time to relax. This could mean taking time away from work, projects or even chores.
When it comes to work, many people often have a tendency to put in overtime, and whilst sometimes this is needed, people often forget to give themselves time to socialise, exercise or even just sit down to watch TV. With many of us working from home, it’s even more difficult to separate work life from our home life. Try to work within your set hours and create a routine. This way, you can still allocate time to yourself every day, of course there’s always going to be housework to do but if you organise yourself well, you can still leave certain evenings for you to spend relaxing.
Dedicate time to a hobby
Following on nicely from our previous point is dedicating time to a hobby, this could be something that you have done for many years or something entirely new to you. Find yourself something that will slow down your pace and let you get creative, this could be baking, crochet, or learning a new language or instrument. Taking part in activities like these will help you to take your mind off whatever is worrying you, whilst also giving you a goal to aim towards or a project to work on.
Be active
Exercise is a fantastic thing to do to improve both your physical and mental health. There are a number of reasons for this, such as helping you to set yourself goals and building your confidence. Exercising can also have a positive effect on your mood, due to chemical changes in your brain that occur when you are active.
It doesn’t matter how you exercise just as long as you do, it’s recommended that adults should aim to be active every day. Now this doesn’t mean you have to be lifting weights in a gym or going out running every day, as this is a common misconception when it comes to exercising. Find something that you enjoy doing, why not try walking, bike riding, dancing, yoga, or you could also look at taking up a sport like football, tennis or gymnastics. There are plenty of ways to be active.
The important thing is, that you enjoy yourself, you exercise on a regular basis and it helps you to relieve your stress and improve your mood.
Tips for managing stress when working
So far, all of our techniques have been things you can do to relieve your stress outside of work, but what about managing your stress within working hours. Well, it’s something that can be tricky to do, but it is achievable.
Set Goals
Through setting goals, you will be able to work more efficiently, with an end focus in sight. Start by setting out long term goals, this will enable you to form a plan which will include medium and short-term goals. These short-term goals will become the make-up of your day-to-day role, providing you with structure in your working day. If you always know what your tasks for the day, week or even month are, then it can eliminate stress surrounding your workload.
Stay Organised
Staying organised links heavily to setting goals, once your goals are set, you need to be organised with your workload.
Perhaps try the 4D’s of Time Management to prioritise your tasks:
Do – Complete the task as soon as possible.
Delay – Complete it at a later time.
Delegate: Assign the task to someone else.
Delete – Don’t complete the task.
You could also try writing to-do lists or using software such as Trello, Monday or Weekdone to track your tasks.
Being organised will help you to stay calm about what work you have to do and what time frame you have to achieve it in.
Take breaks
Many people have a tendency to work through their lunch breaks, meaning that their productivity levels dip in the afternoon. Take a minimum of half an hour away from your desk at lunch, this will help to improve your focus in the afternoon. Likewise, there is no harm in taking a few short breaks throughout the day to refocus your attention.
Remember not every technique will work for you, you may have to trial a few before you find something that suits. The most important thing is that you are doing things for yourself that help you to manage your stress levels.
Check out our blog on staying productive when working from home, for more advice and tips that will help to manage stress.
