On-the-job Stress Busters

Bookmark Article

Everyone is born with a capacity for natural resilience, but we can lose sight of this innate ability amongst workplace demands, deadlines and conflicting expectations of work and personal life. Effectively managing stress is an important part of building resiliency in the workplace, and means you’ll be able to face challenges with confidence through improved problem-solving and strong working relationships with your team members. 

Six tips to bust workplace stress

1. Talk to your manager: By consistently taking on more work without signaling that you’re at or beyond capacity may give the impression that you can handle it. Speaking to your manager will allow you to raise workload awareness, prioritize your work and possibly adjust deadlines.

2. Talk to your colleagues: If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, talk to a trusted coworker. They may be able to help you resolve it or, at the very least, offer a sympathetic ear.

3. Take breaks: In today’s fast-paced world, many people neglect to give themselves a mental break during the day. So grab a coffee, step away from your work station, get outside for a few minutes or simply take a short walk around the office – it’ll help shift your thoughts to something less stressful, giving you a short mental break. Remember to actually take a proper lunch away from your desk as well.

4. Seek out information or training: If you find yourself stressed because you feel that you lack the information, resources or training to do your job well, talk to your manager. Be specific about what skills or information you require to do your job more effectively.

5. Build relationships: Take the time to connect with your colleagues socially. Go to lunch with your coworkers, catch up with them in the lunch room or simply take a moment to connect with them on a personal level. By forging relationships in the workplace, you will feel less isolated and more connected to your colleagues, which is good for your mental health.

6. Contact your EFAP: Your employer offers an Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), so take advantage of professional and confidential support to learn more about effective stress management.