How you tackle stress is subjective but tackling it is a must. You should not let this stress get the better of you or else you may end up not only damaging your health but also your career and professional relations. Managing stress at workplace- here are 5 steps you can take.

Research has indicated that the percentage of Americans who are stressed at work is high—and it’s only getting higher. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, 29 to 40% of Americans report being “extremely stressed at work.” ^[A]STRESS…At Work: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Work stress has significant health consequences that range from relatively benign (like getting more colds and flus) to potentially serious (such as heart disease and metabolic syndrome). ^[B]Li J, Loerbroks A, Bosma H, Angerer P. Work stress and cardiovascular disease: a life course perspective.

While stress at work is common, finding a low-stress job is hard (if not impossible). A more realistic approach is to adopt effective coping strategies to reduce stress at your current job. Here are some stress management techniques you can try if you are finding it hard to cope with work stress.

Certain factors tend to go hand-in-hand with work-related stress. Some common sources of stress at workplace are: ^[C]Coping with stress at work– American Psychological Association

• Low salaries
• Excessive workloads
• Few opportunities for growth or advancement
• Work that isn’t engaging or challenging
• Lack of social support
• Not having enough control over job-related decisions
• Conflicting demands or unclear performance expectations

Work-related stress doesn’t just disappear when you head home for the day. When stress persists, it can take a toll on your health and well-being.

Elizabeth Scott, MS ^[D]Elizabeth Scott, MS, is a wellness coach specializing in stress management, and the author of “8 Keys to Stress Management“ suggested 9 Simple Ways to Deal With Stress at Work.

• Start your day off right
• Be clear on requirements
• Stay away from conflict
• Stay organized
• Be comfortable
• Forget multitasking
• Walk at lunch
• Keep perfectionism in check
• Listen to music on the drive home

All of us can benefit by learning skills of managing stress at workplace and anxiety on the job. Several skills taught in cognitive behavioral therapy may help, including these: ^[E]How to handle stress at work: Harvard Health Publishing – Harvard University

1. Deal with stressors

Increased anxiety can kill your productivity and peace of mind for hours endlessly. The quickest way out is to name your feeling. Say it out aloud. What is it that you are feeling and who/what is the cause of it? ^[F]How do you handle workplace stress: The Economic Times

Add multiple feelings if there are different trigger points. If it doesn’t sound quite right, put a different label to it. You deal with stressors better when you know what it is you are dealing with. Your anxiety starts dropping and you can take action or ignore as required. It could be a great way of managing stress at workplace.

2. Discuss what you are going through

If you have a trusted friend who is willing to simply listen, you can discuss what you are going through or feeling. When you speak, you are able to separate facts from fiction and see things clearly.

You can even work with a professional counsellor, many companies have in-house counsellors to help employees navigate such storms of stress. Else, just pen down your thoughts for similar benefits. Journaling helps too.

3. Face it and come to terms

Often, the easiest way to get over your daily stress is to face it and come to terms with it in order to make peace with it. If your daily target of sales or service calls stresses you out, take on this task the first thing in the morning.

If you are stalling a client meet, schedule it immediately and get it out of the way. Uncertainty of future events and outcomes is easily and quickly resolved by taking action and putting the event into the past.

4. Come back to the here and now

Managing stress at workplace is not so easy at all. But your paralyzing anxiety either comes from past stories or future stress. A quick solution is to break the chain and return to the present. Describe your surroundings— sights you see, sounds you hear and movements.

Draw it, paint it, journal it or sing it. These simple acts get your mind into the present and breaks the negative cycle of thoughts. Repeat as you need.

5. Tackle physically and physiologically

Anxiety takes birth in the mind but can easily take over your body too. Physical and physiological reactions to stress are inherent and very common. So taking bodily actions can be useful to reset a chain of anxious thoughts, It could be a great step of managing stress at workplace.

Get out in the sun or get some air. Go for a run/jog, do some exercise. Wake up at a fixed time, irrespective of when you sleep. Watch light, cheerful or funny videos and listen to similar kind of music. Deep breathing is scientifically proven to be helpful too.