Did you know that stress is one of the leading causes of anxiety and depression? While stress takes on many forms, most Americans pinpoint their job as one of the top sources. From terrible bosses to increasing demands and tough projects, high levels of stress directly impact your wellbeing and mental health.
As your wellbeing slips, you can end up with both physical and mental ailments. It isn’t uncommon for someone to develop ulcerative colitis, for instance. In order to prevent these occurrences, here’s how you can minimize stress and protect your mental health at work.
Talk About It
One of the easiest ways to manage your stress is to talk about it. Open up to your support groups, whether those are friends, family, or otherwise. It helps to find a friend at work, too, allowing you both to talk about the stresses of the job as they happen.
Don’t Forget to Sleep
Exhaustion makes everything worse, and that includes stress. When you aren’t getting enough sleep, your dropping your guard to the things that impact your mental health. Schedule a specific block of time to get as close to eight hours as possible every day no matter how tight your deadline might be.
Self-Management
As work begins to drive you crazy, you might find that you’re no longer keeping up on the other aspects of your life. Simple tasks like mowing the grass, fixing a leak, or keeping up on your bills can help you maintain a sense of order no matter how out of control work might seem.
There also times when you really need an extended break due to other issues in your life. Work is important, but so is the life you’ve created for yourself. You might need to take some time off to help care for a loved one, grieve a loss, or even take paternity leave if you’re a new parent.
It’s okay to take time off and handle these types of situations. If you neglect them to focus on work responsibilities, your mental health is going to deteriorate. Remember, you’re not a machine. Taking care of yourself and your loved ones is a vital part of the human experience.
One Step at a Time
For many, stress compounds as they see the entirety of a projects or a mountain of demands. Looking at the whole picture shows you what all needs to be done, but you can’t possibly tackle all of it at once. Instead, focus on one task at a time as you begin to chip away at your work obligations.
Take Breaks
In some cases, your stress increases simply because you’ve been working away for what seems like forever. You can manage your stress just by taking a fifteen-minute break. Take a walk, eat something, or stretch. All three can work wonders on keeping your stress levels in check.
Keep an Eye on Stress
Finally, you want to monitor your stress levels in order to employ the tactics above. Take note of when your stress levels spike and take note of how you react in those situations. It’s the only way to begin forming positive habits and responses that will improve the state of your mental health.
