We can learn to live with it in peace or let it destroy our lives.  One of the most stressful places is the workplace, so I wanted to share with you 10 tips to help reduce your work stress and enjoy your work life:

1.  Prepare yourself  mentally before work.  Don’t get caught up in the negative atmosphere in the workplace, instead focus on the positive and dont indulge in the gossip and negative conversation that brings down the office morale.  Negative talk in the workplace is like a virus and it’s hard to resist but you have to or you will find yourself taking that negativity home.

2.  Go To Sleep!!!  The rule always has been and still is you need to get seven to eight hours of sleep a night to give your body time to repair and be ready for a new day.  Not sleeping causes jitters, lack of cocentration, irritability and other health problems.  Plus it’s just relaxing to get some sleep in. 

3.  Leave early in the morning, DONT RUSH!  I like to give myself an extra fifteen or twenty minutes before I go anywhere and I like to arrive early, because you never know what you have in store for yourself once you get out the house.  Traffic jams, accidents, and car problems can turn that easy thirty minute commute into a forty-five minute one.  With no time built in for error, you’ll stress out easily.  It feels better to get to work and have some time to unwind before you have to get started. 

4.  Work your body out and stay in shape.  Exercise strengthens the body and the mind.  Stronger muscles and more blood flow to the brain increases clarity and decision making.  You won’t get as stressed when your body is strong enough to fight it!  It doesnt have to be anything big, just hop on the treadmill every once in a while, it’s actually relaxing.

5.  Eat healthy.  Watch the foods you eat because eating the wrong  foods can affect your body and your work.  Eating a heavy meal for lunch can make you lethargic all afternoon which ruins your focus and productivity.  I know after lunch if I eat to big I’m ready to call it quits.  Pick healthier alternatives to keep the body in good condition.

6.  Don’t overwork yourself.  Make your workload manageable.  Trying to do to much in one day is highly stressful, even it out like a good diet.  There is always tomorrow if you have to get something done the next day.  Create a fifteen minute window between engagements in case one runs longer than you expected.

7.  Delegate your work to others.  I know it feels better if you do it yourself, but that’s the reason to have other teammates is for the help.  Who said that you have to do it all?  Share your work to avoid the stress involved with figuring out every detail.

8.  Take breaks throughout the day.  It doesnt have to be a super long break, but take some time away from your work to clear your head.  While on break completely erase work from your mind that is your time to yourself.  You need to get away from your desk and maybe walk around a little bit.  If you stay by your desk you are more tempted to dive back into that pile of work.  Stay at your desk and it wont even feel like you took a break.

9.  Learn to communicate effectively.  The majority of hard feelings come from misunderstandings.  Don’t let your work issues build up in your mind or you will find yourself more stressed in the long run.  Then at some point you may just want to snap and let it all out and trust me it wont come out the way you want it to.  You dont want to get the rerputation for a person with a bad attitude around the office, this could  lead to verbal arguments and lead to you getting fired. 

10.  Avoid bad habits.  Smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol sounds like a great way to reduce stress but it causes addictions and it will be hard to let it go.  This will lead to more stress in the  long run, plus the cost of cigarettes and alcohol is soaring out the roof.  Alcohol is a depressant and nicotine will only heighten your anxiety. 

Stress can help you or hinder you.  Learn to manage it in the workplace.

Are you stressed out?  Stress is a major factor in today’s society.  There are so many economic pressures in this world with every major company either going out of business or on their way out the door.  Some of us don’t know if when we go into work that day if this will be our last day or not.  I have a few personal friends who have already been laid off of corporate society.  So what do you do if you are still working in the corporate world?

 We can learn to live with it in peace or let it destroy our lives.  One of the most stressful places is the workplace, so I wanted to share with you 10 tips to help reduce your work stress and enjoy your work life:

1.  Prepare yourself  mentally before work.  Don’t get caught up in the negative atmosphere in the workplace, instead focus on the positive and dont indulge in the gossip and negative conversation that brings down the office morale.  Negative talk in the workplace is like a virus and it’s hard to resist but you have to or you will find yourself taking that negativity home.

2.  Go To Sleep!!!  The rule always has been and still is you need to get seven to eight hours of sleep a night to give your body time to repair and be ready for a new day.  Not sleeping causes jitters, lack of cocentration, irritability and other health problems.  Plus it’s just relaxing to get some sleep in. 

3.  Leave early in the morning, DONT RUSH!  I like to give myself an extra fifteen or twenty minutes before I go anywhere and I like to arrive early, because you never know what you have in store for yourself once you get out the house.  Traffic jams, accidents, and car problems can turn that easy thirty minute commute into a forty-five minute one.  With no time built in for error, you’ll stress out easily.  It feels better to get to work and have some time to unwind before you have to get started. 

4.  Work your body out and stay in shape.  Exercise strengthens the body and the mind.  Stronger muscles and more blood flow to the brain increases clarity and decision making.  You won’t get as stressed when your body is strong enough to fight it!  It doesnt have to be anything big, just hop on the treadmill every once in a while, it’s actually relaxing.

5.  Eat healthy.  Watch the foods you eat because eating the wrong  foods can affect your body and your work.  Eating a heavy meal for lunch can make you lethargic all afternoon which ruins your focus and productivity.  I know after lunch if I eat to big I’m ready to call it quits.  Pick healthier alternatives to keep the body in good condition.

6.  Don’t overwork yourself.  Make your workload manageable.  Trying to do to much in one day is highly stressful, even it out like a good diet.  There is always tomorrow if you have to get something done the next day.  Create a fifteen minute window between engagements in case one runs longer than you expected.

7.  Delegate your work to others.  I know it feels better if you do it yourself, but that’s the reason to have other teammates is for the help.  Who said that you have to do it all?  Share your work to avoid the stress involved with figuring out every detail.

8.  Take breaks throughout the day.  It doesnt have to be a super long break, but take some time away from your work to clear your head.  While on break completely erase work from your mind that is your time to yourself.  You need to get away from your desk and maybe walk around a little bit.  If you stay by your desk you are more tempted to dive back into that pile of work.  Stay at your desk and it wont even feel like you took a break.

9.  Learn to communicate effectively.  The majority of hard feelings come from misunderstandings.  Don’t let your work issues build up in your mind or you will find yourself more stressed in the long run.  Then at some point you may just want to snap and let it all out and trust me it wont come out the way you want it to.  You dont want to get the rerputation for a person with a bad attitude around the office, this could  lead to verbal arguments and lead to you getting fired. 

10.  Avoid bad habits.  Smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol sounds like a great way to reduce stress but it causes addictions and it will be hard to let it go.  This will lead to more stress in the  long run, plus the cost of cigarettes and alcohol is soaring out the roof.  Alcohol is a depressant and nicotine will only heighten your anxiety. 

Stress can help you or hinder you.  Learn to manage it in the workplace.