Whether you’re currently working or looking for a job, you know what it feels like to be stressed. Emails stack up before you can get on top of them. You get ten Teams notifications in three minutes. You’re left waiting for an important phone call. A last-minute task pops up. And everything related to work becomes much more stressful if you’re worried about your finances.
We know stress is bad for us. We know stress isn’t helpful. But knowing that doesn’t make stress go away. If anything, it just makes us stressed about being stressed.
So, what do you do?
Be aware of how stress affects you
We’re all different, so we all react to stressful situations differently. Identify what you’re feeling and the effect it’s having on your body. Identify what you’re feeling and its effect on your body. Are you tired? Do you have a headache? Is your heart beating faster? Are you eating differently?
If you can manage the reactions your body is having to stressful situations by getting more sleep, drinking water, meditating or going for a run, or having healthy snacks nearby, you’re less likely to from the long-term physical and mental side effects of stress.
Identify everything that is making you stressed
You might not be able to eliminate all your stressors immediately, but it’s essential to understand everything that’s stressing you out. When dealing with big stressful events in our life, like looking for a job or working on a major project, we have a lower capacity to deal with the smaller things that we never considered stressful before. If the constant Teams notifications are stressful, put your computer on mute and just set aside some time to check your messages regularly. If you don’t have time to think about cooking dinner or paying the bills, see if there’s someone you can delegate those tasks to or a way to automise those tasks.
Set aside some time every day
It may seem counterproductive when you’re extremely busy, but even a few minutes of personal time during a busy day can help prevent burnout. This might mean going for a walk or doing breathing exercises, or it could mean watching a funny video on YouTube. It doesn’t matter what succeeds in taking you out of your stressed state; the most important thing is that it’s something that works for you.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Sometimes stress can be too much to handle on your own. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help. This could mean letting your manager know that you’re stressed, talking to friends or family, or seeking professional help.
If you are an MTC Australia customer, you may be eligible for free support from our Allied Health professionals.
