Think of a time when you had a lot of paperwork or written task to do and you were feeling anxious or exhausted. Maybe you’re worried about finishing a big task on time at your job. Or maybe you’re going through a hard time in your own life and are worried about how to handle it.
When you’re in a situation like this, you might have a higher perceived stress and feel nervous. You might not be able to sleep or eat well, or you might feel angry or restless. You might also feel like you’re always on high alert, like you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop.
All of these are common signs of stress, and they happen because your body is trying to deal with what it thinks seems a threat or problem. It is critical to understand how to deal with and reduce stress because it has a negative impact on one’s entire health. Later in this article, there will be tips and strategies on how to deal with work stress and anxiety.
What is Stress?
Stress is a physiological and psychological reaction to a sense of danger or challenge. It is a natural and typical response that happens when your brain senses that you have to deal with a tough or dangerous situation, regardless of whether the circumstance is true or imaginary.
When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that get you prepared to engage in the “fight or flight” response. This can lead to visible symptoms like a faster heartbeat, more rapid breathing, sweating, and tense muscles. It may result in psychological issues such as anxiety, irritability, and trouble concentrating.
However, in a normal situation, our mental, emotional, and physical states should return to normal after a stressful event. Here is where psychological well-being comes into play, assisting us in maintaining our levels of wellness even when we are confronted with stressful situations.
Although short exposure to moderate positive stress levels might improve our ability to perform, the trick is keeping that to minimal stress levels. To fully understand types of stress, below differentiate acute and chronic stress.
Acute stress
This sort of stress lasts for a very brief period of time and is typically triggered by a single incident or circumstance. Being caught in traffic, having a disagreement with a friend, or delivering a speech are all situations that can be considered to be examples of acute stress.
Chronic stress
This kind of stress lasts for an extended period of time and is typically brought on by recurring situations or problems, such as struggles with money or relationships, or by having a job that is demanding. If it is not appropriately managed, chronic stress can have major negative effects on a person’s health due to long term exposure to stress.
Even though stress is a normal part of life, acute or chronic stress may harm your physical and mental health. Both acute and chronic stress have the potential to cause long-term health issues and to worsen illnesses that already exist. It can cause a variety of health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, and generalized anxiety disorder. So, it’s important to learn how to deal well and relieve stress if you want to stay healthy generally.
Common Sources of Stress
Both students and workers must deal with a variety of stressful factors that can have an adverse effect on their health.
Students frequently experience stress due to a variety of factors, including academic pressure, financial problems, concerns about managing their time effectively, pressure from their peers, and uncertainty regarding their future.
For employees, common sources of job stress include uncomfortable workspace, work load, deadlines, performance standards, managing a team, and financial pressure. This are some source that causes stress at work which are common among workers.
This all can be consider as stress triggers and contributes to the stress experienced by students and even workers.
How can work stress affect well-being?
Stress can have a negative impact on our entire wellbeing. When we are in a stressful situation, our bodies generate stress hormones that include cortisol and adrenaline, which can have a variety of consequences for our physical and mental health.
Here are a few instances of how stress can negatively impact one’s well-being:
Physical health
Stress can put us at risk for a variety of health issues, including high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. It can also wreak havoc on our immune systems, making us more susceptible to illnesses and infections.
Mental health
Stress has been linked to the development of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. It can also exacerbate pre-existing mental health issues.
Sleep
Stress can impair our capacity to get a decent night’s sleep, thus impacting our mood, energy levels, and overall well-being.
Relationships
Because stress causes anger, moodiness, and withdrawal, it can be difficult to maintain healthy relationships with friends and family members.
Productivity
Stress can impair our capacity to concentrate and make judgments, reducing our productivity and ability to meet our objectives.
Overall, recognizing the indications of stress and taking actions to manage it is critical for our well-being. This could include stress management techniques like practicing relaxation , exercising frequently, getting enough sleep, and, if necessary, receiving help from loved ones or a mental health expert.
Steps in How to deal with work stress and anxiety
Anxiety and stress are common emotional response that can have an impact on our health, yet there are many efficient ways to manage and lessen these emotions. Here are a few steps to take on how to deal with work stress and anxiety:
Determine your stressors.
The way you react to and cope with stress is mostly determined by your personality, the experiences you’ve had, and the other distinctive features you possess. It’s possible that things that happen that cause tension and anxiety for your coworkers won’t have much of an impact on you at all. You may also be unusually sensitive to specific sources of stress that do not appear to have the same effect on other people.
Locating the stress triggers at work is the first step in developing effective coping mechanisms.
Maintaining a journal for a week or two can allow you to discover the circumstances that cause you the greatest stress as well as how you react to those circumstances. Take notes on your reactions, as well as your thoughts and feelings regarding the surroundings, including the people, events, and circumstances that were a part of it, as well as the physical setting.
Develop healthy responses
Instead of seeking to combat stress with fast food or drink, try to make healthy choices when you feel it mounting. Exercise is an excellent stress reliever. Yoga is a great option, but any sort of physical activity is beneficial. Make time for your hobbies and favorite pastimes as well.
Assess negative thoughts
When you have been preoccupied with worry and ongoing stress for an extended period of time, your mind may have a tendency to jump to conclusions and view every circumstance through a negative lens. What you need to do is try to put some distance between yourself and your negative ideas and just observe what is going on around you rather than making snap decisions.
Set work-life limits
Create work-life boundaries which can mean not checking email at home or answering the phone during supper is an act to avoid potential stress. Work-life conflict and stress at work can be reduced by setting healthy clear boundaries between job and home life.
Take time to recharge
We need time to recover from constant stress and burnout. “Switching off” from work and not thinking about it is necessary to recover. It’s important to unplug occasionally in a way that suits you to alleviate stress at work. Use vacation days as a personal time and take time off to unwind so you can return to work refreshed and ready to perform.
Know how to relax
Coping with stress can be done by the practice of techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and mindfulness, which is a situation in which one actively observes present feelings and thoughts without criticizing them.
Begin by devoting even a few minutes per day to a basic activity, such as breathing, mindful walking, or eating. With more and more practice, you’ll develop the ability to concentrate intently on a single task without getting distracted by other things, and you’ll realize that this is a skill that can be used to a wide variety of various elements of your life.
Seek some support
Do not be reluctant to seek support if you feel that the stress you are experiencing is becoming unbearable.
Your capacity to deal with stress can be improved by accepting assistance from trusted friends and members of your family. Your company might also provide you with access to stress management resources as part of an employee assistance program. These might include material that can be accessed online, counseling services, and, if necessary, referrals to professionals in the field of mental health.
If you continue to feel overburdened by the stress of your job, you may want to consider speaking with a psychologist. A psychologist may assist you in better managing your stress and changing unhealthy behaviors.
Remember that everyone responds differently to stress, so figure out what works best for you and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Other Stress Relief Strategies for Students and Employees
Practicing Breathing Exercise
When your body is under stress, you typically don’t think as well as you could. Also, you are probably not breathing adequately. You may be taking shallow, brief breaths. When you breathe incorrectly, you disrupt the body’s exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Breathing exercises are a quick method to calm yourself down. These can be performed essentially anywhere in mere minutes.
Breathing exercises are an effective method to manage acute stress, such as right before an exam or presentation, due to their rapid onset. But they can also aid in managing longer-term tension, such as that caused by relationships, work, or financial issues. This can be practiced as your daily routine in your home such as those living in Asterra condomiums. This can help a lot in coping with stress and prevent burnout.
Practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is another effective stress management technique for employees and students that can be applied at various times when stress causes physical tension.
This technique includes contracting and relaxing all muscles until the entire body is thoroughly at ease. You can learn to release tension from your body in seconds with practice.
This can be especially beneficial for students, as it can be adapted to facilitate relaxation techniques before sleep, resulting in more restful sleep.
Once a person learns how to effectively use PMR, it can be a quick and convenient method to induce relaxation in any stressful situation.
Exercise Regularly
Exercise can help mitigate the detrimental impacts of stress. Starting today and continuing to exercise on a regular basis throughout your life can assist you live a lot longer and appreciate life more. To achieve one’s fitness goals, intensive workout routines are not required. When conducted on a consistent basis in your daily routine, even moderate levels of physical activity partner with healthy diet can give continued support for mental wellbeing as it helps yo release tension, a growth mindset, and reduced levels of stress.
Getting Enough Sleep
With their busy schedules, students and employees frequently skip sleep. Unfortunately, sleep deprivation restricts you. You’re less productive and harder to learn.
Sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness may also cause mood disorders, vehicle accidents, lower grade point averages, worse learning, and academic failure. Thus, don’t skip sleep. Get 8 hours of sleep and power nap as needed.
Nature Play
Have you ever noticed that being out in nature makes you feel better? You may have noticed that when you go for a hike in the woods or a walk on the beach, your problems seem to disappear. Because nature play can have a significant impact on our mental and emotional health.
One of the activities associated with positive psychology involves taking time in nature. The simple act of going out into nature could provide stress relief.
When we spend time in nature, our bodies create feel-good hormones like serotonin, which can make us feel happier and more relaxed. Nature also calms the mind and body, which can be hard to find in our fast-paced modern lives.
So, if you’re feeling worried or overwhelmed, you might want to take a break and go outside. Getting out into nature, whether it’s for a walk in the park or a weekend camping trip, can do a lot for your mental and emotional health.
Try Mindfulness
We don’t try to change or fix anything when we practice mindfulness. Instead, we simply observe our thoughts, feelings, and bodily experiences without judging them or getting distracted by them. By doing this, we can learn more about what’s going on inside of us and become more self-aware.
This increased awareness can help us deal with stress in many ways. By giving focus on our breath and how our body feels, for example, we can become more aware of areas of tension and actively let them go. This can help us feel more at ease and at ease with ourselves.
Mindfulness can also help us control our feelings by making us more aware of what we are thinking and feeling. When we’re more aware of what’s going on inside us, we can respond to stress in a more helpful way instead of acting on impulse.
In the end, mindfulness is all about becoming more present and aware in our daily lives. When we pay more attention to the present moment, we can find more peace and calm, even when life is hard.
Build Your Support Network
Having a support network in place is like having a safety net for when things get hard. It’s like having a group of people who support us, cheer us on, and help us get through tough times.
When we have a support network, we can talk to trusted adult for advices and connect to other other people that we trust. When we need it, these people can listen to us without judging us and give us comfort and help. It can be very comforting to know that there are people who care about us and are there for us.
In addition to these benefits, having a support network can also make us feel more linked to others. When we feel linked, we are less likely to feel lonely or alone, which can make us feel stressed. Having a social network can even be good for your health.
Listen to Lively Music
Particularly lively music can have a powerful influence on our emotions and energy levels, making it an excellent stress-relief tool.
Upbeat music releases dopamine, a chemical linked to pleasure and reward. This improves mood and reduces stress and anxiety. Lively music can sometimes distract us from our problems and stressors. Focusing on the music and rhythm helps us forget our difficulties. It can also encourage physical activities such as dancing and exercise. Physical activity reduces stress, and energetic music makes it more fun.
Listening to upbeat music can boost your mood and lessen stress. Next time you’re overwhelmed, put on your favorite happy songs and notice how it impacts your mood and energy.
Watch Humorous Movies or Video
Have you ever laughed so hard that you forgot about all your problems, even if it was just for a short time? Laughter has a strong effect on both our bodies and brains.
When we laugh, our bodies make chemicals called endorphins, which make us feel good. These endorphins can make us feel less pain, improve our happiness, and help us feel less stressed and more relaxed.
Also, laughing can help ease discomfort in our bodies, which is a common sign of stress. When we laugh, our muscles relax, our heart rate and blood pressure go down, and our breathing slows down. One great way to get these effects going is to watch a funny movie.
So, the next time you feel worried or overwhelmed, take a break and watch a funny movie with friends or family. It’s an easy and effective way to cope with stress and feel better.
Gains in Taking Care your Mental Health
Taking care of your mental health entails more than just giving focus on your physical health. It involves understanding that your feelings, thoughts, and actions are just as important as your body.
Students can take care of their mental health by giving themselves time to do things like take a walk outside or talk with friends. It could also mean going to a counselor or therapist for help if they are having trouble with stress, worry, or other mental health problems.
For employees, putting mental health first might mean setting limits between work and personal life, practicing mindfulness techniques during breaks, or getting help from a mental health professional if they’re dealing with burnout, hightened perceived job stress or other work-related stressors.
It’s important to remember that worry is a normal part of life, even though it can be undesirable and uncomfortable. Stress is something that everyone goes through at some point, and it doesn’t always mean that something is wrong with you. But if you find that your stress is getting in the way of your daily life, it might be a good idea to talk to a mental health professional or try some techniques to manage stress.
In the end, taking care of your mental health must be on your priority list as it means being kind and compassionate to yourself and knowing that it’s alright to take a break or ask for help when you need it.
