A Guide for Handling Job-Related Stress

Stress is usually part and parcel with a career. While a lot of people may say you should always aim for a job which you love and which causes no stress or negativity, unfortunately, stress can easily become a part of any career, even if it’s one you love.

Job-related stress can easily spiral out of control if not dealt with or acknowledged properly. It may be a simple change of outlook or habits which will help for a healthier routine, or it may be a more significant issue which requires serious steps to improve.

Either way, job-related stress should never be ignored, and neither should you feel guilty or weak for feeling stressed.

Here is a guide for helping you to pinpoint your own job-related stress, and how you can best deal with it.

If You’re Feeling Overwhelmed

Stress can easily be coupled with feeling overwhelmed, and as though things are out of your control. Perhaps you’ve taken on too big a workload, or you can’t get a handle on your work responsibilities, and it all feels like a bit too much.

• Talk to a Loved One

Often, work-related stress which feels temporary, can easily be reduced simply by talking about it. Although it’s never pleasant to have to bring work stresses home with you, or to have to think about your job outside of working hours, trying to suppress your feelings will only make it worse.

If you seek the advice of loved ones — whether friends or family — regarding a stressful work situation and how you’re feeling, they may be able to offer valuable advice. It’s also a good idea to be open and honest about why you may not be acting like yourself.

• Talk to a Work Superior

If your workplace stress is directly because your workload is simply too much, or if there’s something specific you are struggling with, then talking with your boss is always encouraged. It can feel difficult to approach your boss sometimes with a problem, but it’s essential for your own health and for the value of the work itself, too.

If you don’t feel comfortable speaking with your boss directly, consider speaking with any other superior, such as a team leader you trust, about the situation, and get it off your chest in a professional manner.

If Career Progression is Too Much Work

Perhaps your stress is emerging from your efforts to further your career. Even if this is the right choice for you within a career, you’re passionate about, trying to manage career progression while working at the same time can be a stressful experience.

• Consider More Flexible Options

If your chosen career progression can be done in a more flexible way to work better around you, then it’s worth looking into. Many careers, even extensive healthcare options like nursing, offer flexible work-from-home and online learning like BSN to MSN online programs so that this can easily fit around your schedule and eliminate the need to travel elsewhere to study.

• Consider Cutting Down Your Working Hours

If you’re trying to pursue career progression alongside your current schedule, or maybe you’re trying to pursue a new career altogether, it can be challenging to juggle everything. If you’re in a position to do so, cutting down your working hours to free up time for your progression — such as switching to working part-time — could help to alleviate pressure and stress.

• Take a Time Out

Maybe you need a time out altogether from your job to focus on your separate progression. Taking a week’s vacation, for example, to spend at home to concentrate on studies, voluntary work, resume preparation or anything which will help your progression can help you to feel less stressed and more organized.

If You Don’t Know What’s Causing the Stress

Sometimes, stress can manifest without you knowing specifically why. This can make it trickier to ascertain where your stress is coming from.

• Analyze Your Daily Routine

Are you going to bed feeling stressed, unable to sleep or waking up stressed? Is a long commute making you feel stressed before you’ve even arrived at work? Think about everything involved in your daily routine.

• Pay Attention to Those Times When You Feel Most Stressed

Though it’s never encouraged to dwell on a bad workday, it’s essential to think about your day as a whole to understand where your stress is coming from. Be honest with yourself and how your day progressed.

Did your stress immediately set at the moment you stepped foot into work? Did you feel stressed when something went wrong with the work system? Maybe a particular co-worker had you immediately feeling stressed when they began to speak to you?

Understanding these triggers points can help you to assess what is making you feel stressed.

If You Want to Get a Handle on Stress

If your stress levels aren’t related to any change in career, you would like to make, and if you’re adamant that you love your job and that you’re just feeling a little out of sorts at the moment, healthy stress-handling techniques can help in your everyday routine.

• Implement a Healthier Work-Life Balance

Don’t let your work be everything in your life. Be sure to switch off work emails and your work phone when you arrive home from work. Make sure that you’re getting days off for yourself and spending time with loved ones. Cut down on overtime and don’t take on too much extra responsibility which will eat into your personal time.

• Practice Relaxation Techniques

Stress can be a quickfire response. Try to react more positively towards any situation. Take a step back and concentrate on mindfulness and breathing, and try to alter your viewpoint to make the best out of bad situations instead of feeling stressed about them.

• Practice Self-Care

Looking after yourself is fundamental in both preventing stress and handling stress in a better way. Self-care should incorporate ways which you can personally look after your wellbeing. Be selfish every once in a while, with your time, pursue activities you enjoy, and switch off from work when you can.

Don’t let stress consume you. It’s possible to have a healthy working life with a job you love and be able to better handle stress so that it doesn’t feel so overwhelming.