How to reduce and manage stress at work

Stress is a daily part of our working lives. We all have to deal with it in some form and being able to reduce and manage stress in the workplace is essential, particularly with the rise in remote working during the pandemic. 

It can be easy to feel overwhelmed with coping with stress at work but there are ways that you can reduce and manage it. Juggling many balls at once when working in the office and at home can leave you with negative thoughts of not being good enough at your job. 

Our latest blog will give you some stress management tips and methods at work that you can use, which will benefit your mental and physical health. 
 

Pic: Bethany Legg, Unsplash

 

Dealing with stress at work  

During our working lives, we’ve all dealt with stressful situations. Whether it's job stress or switching off from work, it can be hard to deal with it all. Even if you love your job, there’s times when you have to deal with undue stress from your manager to get things done. 

However, if you find yourself so stressed at work, it could lead to mental health problems. Research from CIPHR found that one in 14 adults in the UK said that they feel stressed every single day, with women experiencing on average more frequent levels of stress than men.  

When it comes to dealing with stress, there are some things you can do to stop yourself from being chronically stressed in the workplace. Going for a lunch walk and not multitasking are a few ways of relieving stress that you may have at work. 

How to reduce stress at work 

There are ways that you can reduce the amount of stress you’re dealing with at work. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach as every individual has their own way with how they reduce stress at work. We’ve listed a few things of how you can reduce stress at work while also increasing your productivity levels. 
 

Prioritise and organise your work schedule 

It can be easy to be overwhelmed with the amount of work you have to do as there’s not enough time to do it in a full working day. One way to counteract this is to make sure that you prioritise and organise your work schedule in advance. By prioritising and organising your tasks, you know what needs to be done without having to frantically sort your diary out. 

Setting deadlines for tasks is a great way to make sure that you stay on task, as well as ensuring that a project is completed on time. Making to-do lists through project management tools or writing it down with a pen and paper can ensure that things are getting done without letting tasks slip through the cracks. 

Make time for exercise 

Setting aside some time during the day to get some exercise is an effective way of reducing stress. Whether you decide to exercise before work or during your lunch break, getting that swim, gym workout or run can have a positive impact on your physical and mental health. 

If for some reason you cannot get some exercise in before or after work, you can easily fit some exercise in during your work hours. Launching wellness challenges, as well as making meetings more active are all simple, but easy ways of fitting some exercise into your daily routine. 

Eat plenty of nutritious and healthy foods 

Food can play an instrumental part in reducing stress at work. It can be very easy to cave into that chocolate bar or burger you want, but by eating food that’s healthy and nutritious can help improve both how you perform at work, as well as reduce any stress you have. 

Rather than go for that unhealthy pizza for lunch, you can replace it with a chicken salad. By having a regular healthy eating routine in place, it will help you productively handle work pressure while also ensuring any bad stress you have is left outside of the office. 

Managing stress at work 

Being able to manage your stress levels by having a strategy in place can help ensure that you can deal with whatever situation you are thrown into. There are tried and tested methods that can help you with your stress management at work. 

Some of those methods include establishing boundaries so that you’re not taking on too much work. If you find yourself so stressed that you are unable to do your job, speak to someone who can help you get the support you need to help you perform better at work. 

How to manage stress at work 

Similar to reducing stress at work, there’s no universal way of managing stress at work. While there are many stress management methods you can use, we have listed a few tips that can help you better manage your stress in the workplace. 

Creating a work/personal life balance 

In this age of hybrid and remote working, it's more important than ever to make sure you have a good work/life balance. Keeping your in-work and out-of-work activities separate are essential to ensuring that you stay productive, as well as getting that important downtime to relax through leisure activities. 

Prioritise self-care 

Making sure you prioritise time for yourself through self-care is essential if you find yourself feeling stressed or overwhelmed with work. You need to give yourself some time to relax, as well as recharge through sleep while establishing regular eating habits and hobbies throughout the day to ensure that you perform at your best at work. 

Having a good support network 

If you are having a stressful few weeks at work, then having a strong support network can help you get through those difficult times. By keeping in touch with close friends and family members, they can be able to help out with activities that you may find yourself unable to do, thus releasing any stress that’s been built-up over time. 

Conclusion  

We all have to deal with stress at work, but finding ways to reduce and manage it can make a big difference to your life. Hopefully, the tips and methods we’ve provided in this blog will help you deal with stressful situations at work in a healthy and productive way. 

If you are ready to take the next step in your accounting career journey, then have a look at our job listings and other career advice.