Around 40% of people in the U.S. feel that their job is very or extremely stressful and 25% view their job as the most significant stressor in their lives – as reported by Stress.org. Chronic stress is linked to a host of diseases and conditions – including obesity, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes. If you have a challenging job and you are concerned about its effects on your health, read on to tackle this problem with a multifaceted strategy that includes taking stock of your current work conditions and relying on tried-and-tested, natural means of stress reduction.
Stopping Abusive Sources of Stress
High stress is to be expected in some jobs and in nearly all jobs, some periods tend to be more tension-filled – including the final days before completing a big project. However, if issues such as unsafe working conditions, predatory behavior, or bullying are the cause of your anguish, it is important to seek legal help. As stated by specialists in the field, Janet, Janet, Suggs, these behaviors can harm workers in the long term, and fixing the problem isn’t as simple as leaving your position – since you may otherwise enjoy your job or you may have invested many years in your current company. If you have experienced injury or abuse because of negligence or other torts, crimes, or contractual violations, you may require different types of treatment, therapy, or counseling – all of which can be costly and can add to the burden you are already bearing.
Technology Is on Your Side
There is a wide array of software and apps that can keep you on track, ensure you meet your goals on time, and enable you to leave the office punctually so you can enjoy time at the gym or socializing with loved ones. Some – such as Asana – are excellent for projects and work management, as they enable teams to keep track of shared documents, liaise with clients, and communicate personally or within a small or large group. Todoist enables you to manage tasks and set priority levels for each task. Finally, timeBro records everything you have done on a given day, tracking every email you wrote, every document you worked on, and every program you used. Since your day is fully logged, you can see where you have wasted time and create time entries to complete similar tasks within a set time frame.
Relying on Scientifically Proven Stress Reduction Techniques
Most people know that exercise (especially yoga, Tai Chi, and other holistic pursuits) have a powerful ability to reduce levels of stress hormone, cortisol. However, yoga isn’t for everyone and some people would rather get their heart racing at a CrossFit class, play a few tunes on their guitar or piano, or take time to sketch an element of nature. Others, meanwhile, enjoy a picnic in a park or a walk through a forest, finding that simply being in nature can improve their mood and help them feel a deep sense of calm. The good news is that all these methods reduce stress levels significantly, with studies showing, for instance, that even people who have never taken pencil to canvas before can benefit greatly from drawing (in fact, their stress levels drop as much as seasoned artists when they are in ‘the Zone’ of creativity).
Tackling stress should be approached from a multifaceted perspective. This can include legal, psychological, and physical strategies to eliminate stress and obtain help if necessary. Making time for specific hobbies (including spending time in nature and indulging in creative pursuits), meanwhile, can help improve your mood, reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression, and help you feel like your life has meaning outside the work environment.
