7 Proven Tips To Beat Office Stress

By Dillon McRamey

Office stress getting you down? You're in good company. Stress at work is reported as being associated with health complaints more frequently than any other life stressors, including family or financial issues. With the current economic climate, those who haven't been let go must pick up the slack left behind by fewer workers. With more work, more interruptions, and higher expectations, it's no wonder the stress levels in offices are at all-time highs.

If you find yourself in a stressful office environment, here are 7 proven tips to help you beat that stress and keep your cool under fire:

1. Have a plan. Start your day with a plan for what you want to accomplish. Whether you take the time for this planning at the end of the previous day or at the start of your new day, what matters is that you have a roadmap for what needs to be done. If you aren't focused on accomplishments, you'll be easily swayed by distractions.

2. As important as planning is, stopping after a full day's work is equally important. If you've been focused and have accomplished the items in your plan, your work day could be over after 8 hours. If you've been distracted, you may have to work a bit longer to get the tasks in your plan accomplished. But whatever the case, stop when your day is done. Don't take work home. That's time for recharging and unwinding. Don't shortchange the importance of getting away from work.

3. Focus on one activity at a time. As necessary as you may think multitasking needs to be, it's not. Multitasking is another name for doing many things poorly. This single item may contribute the most to your office stress. Work on one thing at a time. Do it well. Complete it. Then move on to the next item. Working on only one item will help your subconscious let go of the other items you're juggling when you're multitasking. This will mean less stress for you.

4. Since we're talking about your subconscious, be sure to put all of your to-do's down on paper. If your subconscious knows that you've captured all of the things you must keep track of, it can focus on accomplishing the current task at hand. It doesn't have to keep working at remembering those items that constantly pop into your head.

5. Work hard for a little while, then take a break. Our minds start wandering after prolonged focus. So instead of fighting the urge to drift off, take a break. Look up, take a short walk, get something to drink, but don't start browsing on the Internet. If you do, you'll soon find yourself an hour later still not back at the task at hand.

6. When you do take a break, have something in your work environment that can district you momentarily. Family pictures, vacation trophies, even plants or small aquariums can offer momentary relief from the tedium of work.

7. Finally, have something nearby that can allow you physical relief from the stress of work. Squeeze balls, Nerf guns, wastebasket basketball, whatever is appropriate for your work area can give you some fun and a little exercise when you find yourself getting up tight. Don't overlook these as being important to your ability to keep an even keel throughout the day. Office stress , especially on a long term basis, can cause numerous emotional and physical issues. The first step in dealing with stress is to understand what it is and what it does to you. http://www.Stress-Relief-Action-Guide.com is a website you can visit that goes into extensive detail into the causes of stress and how you can manage or eliminate stress from your life.

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