How to Manage Stress

National Stress Awareness Day falls on the first Wednesday of November. This day about focusing on wellbeing and managing stress.

This years’ focus is on ‘stress at your workplace.’ According to UNISON, ‘work-related stress is one of the biggest health hazards.’ If stress levels aren’t maintained and monitored, it can lead to serious health problems.

Finding advice and seeking support when feeling stressed is a step in the right direction for boosting wellbeing.

Here are some handy tips on how to manage stress:

Identify the source:

• Find the cause of the stress, it may be a subliminal worry, or something that’s been building up for some time.
• Occupational Health Expert Cary Cooper says “Not taking control of the situation and doing nothing will only make your problems worse.” Cooper identifies the solutions to managing stress as: having family and friends to talk about problems with, maintaining a positive attitude, being in control of the situation and building emotional strength.
• Maintaining control over the source of stress and being proactive is a step forward in combatting stress.

Organisation

• Managing stress can be made easier through being organised. This can be achieved by:

1.           Noting down important dates and tasks.
2.           Setting deadlines and working towards them.
3.           Setting personal goals.
4.          Avoid procrastination by completing tasks as soon as you are able to.
5.          Organise your workspace, sorting everything into the correct places
6.          Declutter anything unnecessary or taking up space.

Set aside time for yourself

• Taking time for yourself every day helps to reduce stress and help control emotions. Read a book, do some exercise or start a new series. Schedule time to wind down and do something you are interested in, as a break from the workload.

• Organise the tasks that need completing in order of importance. Complete the most important one straight away, then work your way through the list, ticking off each task once it’s complete.
• Try following the Eisenhower Matrix. It’s a system that helps prioritise important tasks and disregard anything unimportant. The system is categorised into four sections:

1. Do first – complete tasks on the same day they’re set.
2. Schedule – not as urgent, but still important tasks
3. Delegate – complete the tasks that can wait until the more important ones are finished.
4. Don’t do – disregard anything that’s unimportant.

• This system will help you to prioritise important tasks whilst reducing stress     levels and control the workload.

There are many ways to de-stress when life gets a little hectic. The most important ways to do so are identifying the cause of the stress and organising your time and tasks. It is also vital to dedicate ‘me time,’ taking time for yourself is key for achieving mindfulness.

Find more advice on how to manage stress here!