It’s nearly impossible to avoid some form of workplace pressure. Heavy, anxious feelings can rear their head at the most impractical times, and not everyone knows how to prevent or manage them.
Despite job pressure being common in the average workplace, that doesn’t mean it has to be in charge. Here are a few helpful tips for managing it:
Remove Yourself from Situations
If you have access to a private space, take full advantage of it. This could mean shutting the door of your office in San Fran or, if you’re a freelancer, finding an executive office for rent in Melbourne coworking spaces. Wherever you are in the world, and whatever your workplace looks like, the key is to have a space you can retreat to when you feel overwhelmed by pressure.
Temporarily remove yourself from whatever’s spiking your stress, take time to gather your thoughts, and prioritize yourself. During your alone time, you might spend 5-10 minutes meditating, taking deep breaths, or enjoying the peace and quiet before rejoining your peers.
Plan and Prioritize
Having more work than you can comfortably manage is a common reason for feeling under pressure in the workplace. Not everyone has an understanding manager who doesn’t overload their employees.
Alongside communicating your situation, you may also see the value in planning and prioritizing your days. Use task management and time management apps to add a sense of organization. You might also order your tasks by importance and break larger duties into smaller ones to make them more manageable.
Improve Your Communication Skills
While some workplace pressure is unavoidable, much of it can be swept away if you have effective communication skills. Being a great communicator puts you in an excellent position to set boundaries with your coworkers and managers regarding your workload. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but boundaries are central to avoiding over-commitment.
Strong communication skills also enable you to seek support when needed and be an active listener to prevent misunderstandings. If you feel a bit lost as to what you should do to improve your communication skills, consider seeking out professional help from a therapist or workplace communication coach.
Focus On Your Health
How we feel mentally and physically can affect our ability to manage pressure. Workplace challenges will likely affect you more than usual if your physical and mental health aren’t at their best.
To put yourself in the best possible position to withstand everyday stress, incorporate regular exercise into your daily routine, prioritize a balanced diet to maintain energy levels, and ensure you get enough sleep. Most people need around seven to nine hours.
When you arrive at work physically and mentally healthy, you can be more in control of your feelings, which could help you navigate each day better.
Learn Stress Management Techniques
Workplace stress isn’t uncommon, with at least 77% of workers reporting it. As a result, it doesn’t hurt to have a few stress management techniques up your sleeve to call upon when needed.
These can include stress-relief activities that you participate in out of work and gratitude practices to focus on things you like about your job. Do a bit of research to find some techniques that work for you, and then practice them daily or weekly – whatever works for your schedule.
Set Your Space Up for Comfort
Your comfort in the workplace isn’t just about your workload and the people you share the space with. It can also be about your workspace itself. When feeling under pressure, consider whether you need to change your work area to optimize your comfort levels.
Declutter it to reduce distractions, add personal items like a family photo for positivity, and prioritize ergonomics to take care of your body.
Ask for Help
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness or not coping. It’s part of being a great communicator and employee. Knowing when to admit that you need help to be the best version of yourself is perhaps one of the most underrated skills a person can acquire.
Talk to your manager about how you’re feeling. You might also take advantage of workplace resources like employee assistance programs. In some cases, professional support in the form of counseling or coaching can also help.
Not all workplace pressures are avoidable, but many are. Trying the proven techniques above may contribute toward a more positive, stress-free working environment that you look forward to being in every day. We sincerely hope you’ve found some ideas you’re excited to try from this article.
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