Dealing with stress at work can be difficult. Luckily, most people get a break from it at some point, but if you’re pushed to your limits, a meltdown wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. If you’re working yourself to the bone and your co-workers are pushing all of your buttons, you may be closer to an outburst than you think. Before you reach the point of explosion, here are a few things you can do in order to avoid a meltdown.
Breathe
When a person becomes overwhelmed and doesn’t take the necessary action to calm themselves down, the person may end up doing something they regret. Therefore, if you’re feeling overwhelmed or you’re reaching boiling point at work, it can help to just take a few deep breaths. Stopping and breathing, just for a few minutes, allows your brain time to re-evaluate the circumstances. Things are often nowhere near as bad as they may seem upon first glance.
Air and Exercise
A bit of fresh air and some exercise will go a long way to helping you deal with stress. Even if you take a twenty-minute break to go outside and walk around the block, you’ll find that’ll you’ll go back into work with an improved perspective. If you believe that exercise dramatically improves your mood and boosts your productivity, you may want to talk to your boss about implementing an in-work exercise program. Many businesses are now providing Yoga, Pilates or Spin classes for their workers.
Don’t Do Taxes
If your work is already stressful enough, you don’t need the added pressure of doing your own taxes. It’s always best to leave that up to someone who knows what they’re doing. When you’re under a lot of stress, it’s easy to make a mistake. You don’t want to have to hire a top rated tax attorney to get you out of a mess. Whatever you can delegate to someone else, do it and take the burden off your shoulders.
Ask for Help
One of the most common traits in people with recurrent stress is the inability to ask for help when they need it. If your workload is too much, ask a coworker to help you out. If you find your job is depressing you, make an appointment with your doctor. Whatever you need help with, there is always someone who will fit the job description. When you try to tackle big problems by yourself, there’s always the risk that you’ll make them worse.
Take Time Off
No matter how many people are relying on you or how big your to-do list is, sometimes you just have to take a holiday for your own sanity. You’re entitled to time off work and it’s important you make the most of it. When you have a stressful job, you need to find ways of blowing off steam and there’s no better way than to book a vacation. It doesn’t matter where you go or what you do, as long as it’s not at the office.
