If you’re feeling stressed from work, know that you’re not the only one! 79% of employees have reported experiencing work-related stress, and nearly 3 in 5 employees experience the associated negative impact from physical fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and even cognitive weariness. These heightened rates of stress were noted among American workers over various states, and have contributed to global phenomena such as The Great Resignation and the current worker shortage.
It’s important that employees also learn to self-manage their stress. Otherwise, they risk affecting their personal and career lives in the long run, with 95% of HR experts agreeing that burnout and stress can destroy workplace retention. Thankfully, there are a couple of ways that can help. Keep reading for our stress-reducing tips below.
Take a step back
Pausing to take a breather can help you better identify specific roots of stress at work. Is it the workload? An overbearing boss? Research says that workplace stress is up across multiple factors, but the most prominent one remains to be low pay, with 56% of employees saying their unsatisfactory paycheck has a significant impact on their stress levels.
Otherwise, other employees cite long hours and a lack of opportunity for growth as top reasons for work-related stress. Thankfully, taking a step back to identify these factors means you know what to adjust in your workplace. Completely addressing them, however, can be a little trickier than simply reducing hours.
If you aren’t gaining any sense of satisfaction from your career, an article by LHH says it’s time to understand whether it’s burnout or a dead end. The two are usually interchangeable: in a survey, 37% reported feeling burned out, 24% felt they’d hit a dead end, and 12% were undecided. Until you identify this, resolving your career struggle may be a long way ahead.
That is because the two have different solutions. Burnout suggests that something needs to change in order to ease stress. Dead ends, on the other hand, represent a stronger incompatibility with career choices themselves.
Consider a career change
69 million Americans quit their jobs in 2020, citing feelings of disengagement or being undervalued. This may be you! With the Great Resignation, today may be the perfect time for you to chase your passions or regain your old ones. If there’s anything we learned from the pandemic, it’s that life is too short to waste away being stressed from work.
If this seems like a huge step, however, no worries. Due to the huge influx of job seekers, many employers are upgrading their total compensation packages. So shop around for a job that fits your needs from salary, 401K contributions, benefits, as well as company culture.
Consult with your boss
The burnout phenomenon is universal and your supervisors are human too. They are likely to sympathize and want to help. Approach them with plans and suggestions, along with clear explanations of what kind of stress you are experiencing, for a productive conversation. This shows that you are serious about taking action, and are not simply venting out of frustration. They may even appreciate this honest interaction because it showcases your maturity and work ethic.
Opt for meditation
Meditation is both cure and prevention in one package. When done to help relieve the fast-paced pressure of work, meditation can train your mind to step back and relax. After all, workplace stress isn’t simply due to external factors like upcoming deadlines, but also due to your internal response to those factors. Meditation sharpens our problem-solving skills and attention to detail as well, allowing for a happier and more productive workday.
Mindfulness can be done almost anywhere and anytime, perfect for the oftentimes chaotic schedule of every worker. If unsure where to start, sign up for our 30 Day Breakthrough Challenge, and with a simple breath, the overwhelming stress of work may fade into the background.
