Feeling Stressed at Work?

By Lauren Farmer

It is easy to feel stressed out at work, whether it is a busy time for your company, you are stuck on a project, or there are personal issues getting in the way of work.  Especially in these winter months, it is easy to feel depressed and relate the bad weather to your mood at work. Here are a few tips on how to keep a positive attitude and not lose your mind when feeling stressed at work.

1. Stay optimistic- Keeping a good attitude is a common sense approach to feeling less stressed. Don't keep looking at the downside of things but focus on the positive and how to make the negative turn into positive. If you feel like everything is going wrong, try not to focus on "why doesn't anything turn out right" and focus more on how it can be fixed. Look at the big picture, because most likely everything will turn out fine.

2. Exercise and fresh air- Exercise is known to reduce stress and it is healthy for you too. If you are feeling stressed, go to the gym after work and run it all off. Focus the negative energy you are containing and let it out through exercise. Also, if you are at work and feel like you are going to explode from frustration, take a quick break from what you are doing and step outside for some fresh air and to gather your thoughts for a second.

3. Do things you love to do- Don't let work take over your entire life or you are bound to be stressed for a long time. Use after work or the weekends for time to yourself. Go to the movies, read a good book, take up a hobby, or any sort of leisure activity that will work for you. Do whatever makes you happy so it will counteract the negative stress you may feel during the week.

4. Stay organized and don't procrastinate- If you don't leave everything to the last minute and space out what needs to be done, then you will feel less stressed. Organize what you have to do and set deadlines for yourself. Prioritize what needs to get done first, set a time to be finished and move on to the next task. Not having everything to do at once will help reduce stress and by setting goals for yourself you can feel a sense of pride and self achievement once you complete a project.

5. Have family/friends time- Whether you go home to your family or friends after work, talk to them about what is going on and how you are feeling. Not only will you feel less stress from talking out what is bothering you but you can bond with the ones you love. Spend time with them either eating dinner, asking how everyones day went, playing games, watching movies, or anything to just spend time with them. Who else could you count on to make you feel better and less stressed then your loved ones?

Keep these few tips in mind next time you feel stressed at work and remember to stay positive and look at the big picture of what is important in life. You can be successful and happy with less negative stress in your life!