Health

How to make sure your stress doesn’t affect your work

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Stress and work go hand in hand. The unrealistic expectations, personal life struggles, impossible workloads, short deadlines, and long hours of tiring work can play a significant role in stressing us out. It leaves us with the feeling of hopelessness and loss of control. If that sounds like you, you are not alone.

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We may have different reasons, but we all experience stress at some point in our lives. Certain symptoms may even force us to take tests to figure out if we are undergoing any problems. In some cases, it is easier to identify and cure. Unfortunately, people going through severe episodic stress or chronic stress can’t even figure out how to help themselves.

However, with the right mindset and approach, you can learn how to manage stress and avoid its impact on your life, work, and overall health.

Stress and your day-to-day life

Personal health is often at stake when an individual is going through untreated chronic stress. This is the primary cause of blood pressure, which in the long term can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

People who work under stressful conditions may often blame their employers for their health problems associated with stress. While that may be true, you must also consider your own habits and lifestyle to find a cure. After all, your personal choices also make a difference to your sufferings.

Now pause and think about the instances when you feel stressed about a missed deadline or workload. What do you do in such situations? Do you drink, smoke, indulge in binge eating, or gamble? Or do you self-medicate?

When under stress, we start seeking instant remedy and turn to things that may worsen it and our health condition along with it.

Undoubtedly, our bad habits become the reason for our regular trips to the ER for infections, recurring viruses, digestive issues, injuries, and weight problems. Stress kills but so does the other factors you turn to when trying to get out of it.

The solution to such cases is much simpler than you think: consider dealing with stress without compromising on health.

Stress and work

Whether you own a business or are working as an employee, people who suffer from chronic stress can risk their professional life as well. According to a survey by the American Psychological Association, the symptoms recorded for stress showed 42% participants complaining about feeling irritable, 39% people were anxious, more than 35% were experiencing depression, while most said that they felt immense lack of motivation.

Such symptoms eventually affect the motivation and adequacy of employees, which affects their work. Stress can be highly overwhelming. When faced with more workload or deadlines, it worsens their state of anxiety. Eventually, it becomes a vicious cycle that an individual is unable to deal with.

Only you can help yourself

It may seem as if we have no control over stress, but we do, after all, it’s just a state of mind. By making healthier choices and organizing your life, you can become the master of your own universe once again.

It is very easy to blame the work or the employer, but unless you are not helping yourself fight the factors leading to your stress, you cannot win. You can easily identify the issues you may be facing via an online dementia test.

Top five ways to manage stress and keep it from affecting your work and life

Focus on your life and make a few notable changes to ensure you are never a victim to stress again.

  1. Switch to a healthier diet

Stress is the primary factor that takes us closer to the unhealthy food that’s only harmful to us. Most people feel hungrier in a state of stress and tend to eat anything and everything they find available.

Preparing your own healthy meal can keep you from buying fast food. Also, processed foods contain hormones, antibiotics, and harmful chemicals that can hurt your body. When you head to work on a stressful day, make sure you already have your meal packed with you.

Foods based on healthy options like vegetables, fruits, lean protein, legumes, and fiber can also help you deal with stress in the long run. It makes you feel light, fresh, and good about yourself. It also helps boost overall health and reduce the risk of developing health issues.

Sugary delicacies can be very tempting when you are under stress. But that’s something that would give you a temporary ‘high’ before the real crash. Avoid sugar, sodas, caffeine, and snacks that would only boost your energy for the time being. You should instead improve your sleep to get that benefit on a long-term basis.

  1. Adequate sleep

As mentioned above, setting your sleep time and getting sufficient sleep can help you develop a routine, which makes life less stressful. When you wake up fresh, you are naturally more motivated to start the day and deal with everything it throws at you.

Getting enough sleep can also have a positive impact on your overall mood. Follow a sleep timetable and give your mind and body enough time to relax, so it is all charged for the next day.

  1. Do not self-medicate

Self-medicating or turning to stress-relieving methods like smoking, alcohol, or drugs will only offer you temporary relief. The satisfaction you get from such things is just short lived. You will be back to facing your troubles once the influence is over.

Moreover, these options are highly risky and possess a significant threat to your life. Even the wrong combination of medicines can be very dangerous. If you really need to do something about diverting your mind, think about yoga or meditation instead.

  1. Don’t commit what you cannot do

In the race of reaching the top before everyone else, we often put a lot of things on a stake. It is a typical scenario in most workplaces. However, there are times when you should prioritize, think about yourself, and learn to say no.

If you are swamped with work and have deadlines to meet, you can politely say no and back it up with a genuine explanation. It’s better to be honest and save your respect than going out of the box every time to accommodate tasks you are unable to do.

Stop over-committing to stop stressing yourself.

  1. Organize and prioritize

Organize your work and life. You need to create a balance to have everything in place before you start losing control again. Divide your time between work and private life so you can enjoy both at the same time.

Organize your tasks by priority. If you have deadlines, you can dedicate a few more hours of your day towards the task to complete it in time. With the right approach, you can have your life under control.

Conclusion

Stress occurs when you are trying to do a lot in a short amount of time. Even when you are trying to manage stress, the key is to take it slow. Do one thing at a time and make changes to your lifestyle accordingly.

You may take a brain test if you like, but the first step is to identify the factors that lead to stress to find a solution. Start implementing those strategies one by one until you see a difference. Eventually, all the hard work will pay off, and you will experience a much more productive, happier version of yourself!

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Alycia Gordan is a freelance writer who loves to read and write articles on healthcare technology, fitness and lifestyle. She is a tech junkie and divides her time between travel and writing. You can find her on @meetalycia

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