Work is One of the Most Common Sources of Stress 

No matter who you are, you’ve probably struggled with work-related stress at some point in your life. Even if you love your career, your daily workload can still become a source of occasional episodes of anxiety. 

In this post, we’ll be discussing stress management in the workplace. We’ll cover topics ranging from the causes of work-related stress to habits you can form to keep yourself from getting overwhelmed by your career.

Let’s get started!

Common Causes of Work-Related Stress 

Stress in the workplace can come from a wide variety of sources. Below are some of the most common causes of this universal type of stress.

Tension with Coworkers

If you share a work environment with others, you’re likely to deal with some tension in your coworking relationships at some point. So It’s only natural to sometimes struggle to get along with your coworkers. 

However, finding a solution to conflicts between you and your team is one of the most important aspects of managing work-related stress.

The tension between you and your coworkers can arise based on factors like poor communication, neglected responsibilities, gossip, and more. While it’s nearly impossible to avoid conflict with coworkers entirely, there are several ways to manage increased stress levels that workplace relationships can cause and to deal with disagreements in healthy ways.

If you’re having problems with your coworkers, you can work to cultivate a more peaceful work environment by taking the following steps.

• Express frustration politely. If a coworker has upset you, make sure to let them know – communication is the first step towards resolving conflicts. However, the way you communicate is important as well. 
  To avoid further disagreements and hurt feelings, make sure to be polite when acknowledging an issue that you have with a coworker.

• Examine your own at-work behaviors. Before calling others out on their shortcomings in the workplace, make sure that you’re doing everything you can to make your work environment a positive place. 
  It’s possible that your behavior is a source of stress to your coworkers in the same way theirs is to you!

• Know when to let things go. If you’re constantly finding yourself getting irritated by your coworkers’ behavior, it may be time to let grudges go. 
  Even if someone you work with did you wrong in the past, there comes a time when dwelling on their wrongdoing will only cause you more stress. Instead of holding a grudge, practice forgiving your coworkers as quickly as possible.

Overworking

A factor known to contribute to job burnout is unclear requirements for employees. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by any thoughts related to work, it may also be a sign that your workload is too heavy for you to carry. 

Overworking can easily lead to burnout, exhaustion, and chronic stress -- a paralyzing combination that can be problematic for your career -- and your health. 

To avoid overworking – and the stress it causes – it’s essential to take the following steps.

• Only commit to the essentials. In his New York Times bestselling book Essentialism, writer Greg McKeown encourages readers to reduce stress by letting go of the commitments that they don’t need to pursue. 
  Non-essential commitments, according to McKeown’s philosophy of essentialism, are highly likely to become sources of unnecessary stress. To avoid burnout, McKeown recommends saying no to any commitments that are weighing you down.

• Set boundaries with coworkers and superiors. If someone at work asks you to fulfill a responsibility and you are out of time and energy, you can save yourself stress by being honest. You might feel compelled to say yes out of a sense of obligation or a desire to please others, it’s always better to say no when you don’t have the ability to fit something into your busy schedule. 
  Although there are some commitments and obligations you simply can’t avoid, take advantage of the times when you are free to let someone else take on a task instead of adding it to your long to-do list.

• Avoid procrastination. When you feel overwhelmed by your workload, it can help to set realistic goals and expectations for how much you can achieve in a day and then work until you’ve met those goals.
  While it’s easy to get overwhelmed by a massive to-do list, setting realistic goals for each day can help you keep procrastination to a minimum, which can keep your workdays balanced.

Overreliance on Stimulants 

Caffeine and other stimulants are go-to solutions for many people when motivation and focus are hard to come by. When days feel long and you’re struggling to stay focused on the tasks at hand, it can be tempting to solve the problem by guzzling cup after cup of coffee.

However, overreliance on stimulants like caffeine can end up having the opposite of the desired effect – it can make it even harder for you to focus.

While coffee may perk you up for a short time, too much of it can lead to an energy crash. If your attention tends to fluctuate throughout the day, it can be helpful to turn to calming, focus-boosting supplements instead of relying on caffeine to get you through the dips in energy and focus. 

R3SET’s Calm supplements are designed to serve as the perfect replacement for less healthy methods of fighting stress and staying focused. 

Our once-daily capsules are formulated with a combination of high-quality ingredients, including:

• Relora
• Ashwagandha
• Valerian Root
• L-Theanine
• Vitamin D
• 5-HTP
• Beta-Caryophyllene
• Ahiflower Oil
• GABA

These ingredients can help you curb your dependence on caffeine, stay focused and relaxed throughout the workday, and live a more productive life. 

To pick up your first supply of R3SET’s Calm supplements, click here.

Common Symptoms of Work Stress

Some common workplace stressors are low salaries, excessive workload, and few opportunities for growth or advancement. It's important to be mindful of the warning signs of job stress so you can address the issue as soon as it arises. 

Symptoms of stress may include:

• Muscle tension
• Chest pain
• Weight gain
• Mood swings
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Headaches

* Excessive stress can eventually lead to mental health issues like depression, as well as heart disease, insomnia, and high blood pressure.

Coping & Stress Management Techniques

You can’t always avoid the tensions that occur on the job. Yet you can take steps to manage work-related stress.

Some stress relief techniques are:

• Adding levity, mutually shared humor.
• Meditation, deep breathing, recharge.
• Regular breaks, i.e. short breaks every few hours, quality lunch breaks.
• Exercise, inquire to see if your company offers wellness resources or gym memberships.
• Celebrate the "small things in life" that you enjoy.

Working The Wrong Job 

Sometimes, stress in the workplace is nearly unavoidable. If your job is a constant source of severe, chronic stress, it may be a sign that your career isn’t working well for you. 

While it’s never a good idea to impulsively quit your job without a plan B, a stressful work situation is worth remedying in any way possible. If that means finding a way to seek employment elsewhere or to reconfigure your work schedule, it’s worth it for the sake of your overall well-being.

However, while it can be tempting to quit your job the moment your work starts to feel more stressful than it’s worth, quitting isn’t always the only solution. If possible, try to take other steps towards a less stressful work environment if you can. 

Setting boundaries, resolving conflicts with coworkers, avoiding procrastination, and more can all be helpful actions to take in order to make your job less stressful – no quitting necessary. 

In the end, utilizing coping techniques can serve to create a more stress-free mindstate and enable you to build resilience and self-esteem along the way.  

Conclusion 

While workplace stress is a common problem, it’s certainly a manageable one. If you’re feeling crushed and overwhelmed by work-related stress, don’t give up – there’s still hope! 

By forming healthy habits, setting good boundaries with your coworkers and boss, balancing work and life, and taking natural supplements, you can work towards a more peaceful, fulfilling career. 

To learn more about stress management and how R3SET’s supplements can help you live a calmer life, make sure to visit our blog. 

You can access the R3SET blog by clicking here. 

 

Sources:

Resolving Conflict Situations | Berkeley EDU 

Why We Hold Grudges, and How to Let Them Go | Psychology Today

10 Steps for Effective Goal Setting: Set and Achieve Goals | College for Adult Learning