How to deal with stress at work when you feel lost or stuck

We’ve all experienced high stress levels at work. Whether it’s short deadlines, expectations, ongoing projects, or managing competing priorities, too much stress can lead to burnout and even worse – resignation!

But stress isn’t always a bad thing. It can help you stay focused, energetic, and meet new challenges. It stops you from being bored in your role.

In the ‘Optimal Performance’ level of stress, you’re more likely to be challenged enough to perform at your best, while not being stressed to the point where you feel overwhelmed and are not productive. If you’re finding yourself in the ‘boredom’ zone, find ways to challenge yourself in your role.

On the other hand, if you’re feeling you have too much stress, here is your sign to slow down.

Too much stress can lead to exhaustion and negative thoughts about your job, yourself and your capabilities. This phenomenon is called burnout, classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a response to job stressors that have not been properly managed.

It doesn’t benefit anyone when you are easily irritable, emotional and unable to make rational decisions while at work.

While you may not be able to eliminate stress from your role, there are things you can do to reduce it, minimise its effects and manage it.

Follow the tips below to deal with stress at work before it becomes overwhelming.

Figure out what is causing your stress and implement solutions

It can be challenging to pinpoint what is causing you to feel stressed at work. It could be a difficult co-worker, a heavy workload, or a lack of control over your job.

It is easier to resolve stress if you can figure out what is triggering it in the first place. That way you can start finding solutions.

Remove causes of stress

In some cases, there may be ways to completely remove certain stressors. The key here is to set boundaries after identifying what is triggering your stress. Maybe it’s learning to say ‘no’ when your workload is heavy, or spending less time around those who cause unnecessary stress with their negativity.

Change situations that cause stress

Changing the situation might be possible if it can’t be completely avoided. Unlike removing the cause of stress, changing the situation requires you to make tweaks in the way the situation might affect you.

For example, if your stress is caused by a heavy workload or your job responsibilities, and you can’t say no or remove some tasks off your plate, speak to your manager and workshop ways to alter those tasks. You may find ways to complete the task more efficiently and effortlessly.

If you’ve been tackling a stressful task for too long and can spare five minutes, take the time to go for a walk or drink some water and take a breath. Short breaks can do wonders for your mental clarity.

Change your attitude or behaviour towards stressors

If the situation can’t be avoided, or altered, try changing your attitude or behaviour towards it. Start looking for opportunities or other positives in those stressful situations. If your source of stress is the long commute to and from work, find ways to make use of that time. Maybe it’s listening to a podcast, practising mindfulness (see below), or planning recipes to cook for the week.

If you find yourself doing a daunting task, think about how it might help you build your skills rather than how annoying it might be to complete.

Accept that you might not be able to do anything at all

When things can’t be avoided and or changed, it can be easy to get fixated on the issue and have tunnel vision. You might find yourself constantly bugged by the situation, fuelling your never-ending stress.

The best advice we’ve received for this situation is from our managing director, Mathew Westcott. His advice is to only let the stressor affect 2% of you and then move on. This advice is much better than ‘just ignore it’ or ‘don’t let it ruin your whole day’; which makes it seem as though you’re overreacting, or that your feelings are not valid. Being angry or upset is often involuntary but how much or how little you let things bother you can be a lot easier to manage.

Practice mindfulness as a means to manage stress in the moment

Mindfulness. Everyone speaks about it but what is it?

It can be hard to define mindfulness but the steps to exercise it are easier to grasp.

Being mindful involves being aware of how you feel, what you’re thinking and how you’re physically present in the moment. It takes some practice, but doing so can help to relieve stress.

While you’re completing a task, try to channel and focus your attention on it.

For example, take yourself away from your desk when eating lunch. Notice what you’re tasting, and how the seat feels underneath you and take note of the weight of the spoon. You may feel silly but bringing your attention to specific aspects of that one moment is good practice for relieving stress in those stressful moments.

When you find yourself in a stressful meeting or performing a stressful task, you’ll be more acquainted with the exercise of mindfulness. You’ll be better at noticing how tense your stomach is, or how much you’re raising your shoulders. When you relax your stomach or drop your shoulders, your body will feel less tense and you’ll also feel less stressed.

Speak to someone you trust

When you’re stressed, it can be hard to think of solutions. Consider speaking to someone you trust about what is causing you stress. It’s easy to have tunnel vision when you’ve been stressed, so having someone look in from the outside or another perspective can help to broaden that view.

If you’re not ready for advice and simply want someone who can listen, let the other person know first! It is natural for people to begin offering solutions, but it could become frustrating when you just want to talk to someone who understands.

On another note, you could use the time with this person as an escape. Being social and enjoying your time creates a break from stressful thought patterns, leaving you refreshed to return with new energy.

Don’t forget about your physical health

If you’re staying back at work to meet deadlines, you might not have time to do a full workout, cook a healthy meal or get enough sleep. We get it, sometimes you can’t help it if you’re working to hit a deadline.

Unfortunately, when you’re not exercising, eating healthy or resting properly, your body is disadvantaged in handling stress. Luckily, we have some clever ways for you to still take care of yourself, so you still incorporate these activities into your routine.

Try a different form of exercise

When it comes to physical activity, studies have shown that doing chores can be just as effective as running or working out. Try to challenge yourself in mopping or vacuuming quicker, or to do more chores in a smaller amount of time. Why make time to work up a sweat when you can already achieve it in something you already do?

Snack differently

We’re not going to tell you to cut out unhealthy snacks. Indulging is a form of stress relief for some people too, right? Instead, find ways to add valuable nutrients to your indulgent snacks!

If you’re craving cookies, consider smashing them up and sprinkling them over yogurt and berries. If you’re eating instant noodles, buy chopped vegetables and parboil them to eat with the noodles. It might take a bit more time to prepare but the benefits could leave you feeling better rather than guilty.

Make changes to save time for sleep

Sleep can be hard to make time for. The solution? Try getting a few things ready the night before your workday. If you take a few minutes to choose your outfit each day, do it the night before. If you’re packing your lunch in the morning, pack it while you’re in the kitchen serving up dinner instead. If you’re often running around looking for your keys, create a designated spot in your home so you know where to find them in the morning. These few changes may seem miniscule, but put in play they could let you catch a few more ZZZs before you need to get up.

Do something you enjoy

If you’ve got time to spare outside of work, do things that you enjoy. We all have activities we enjoy where our minds become engrossed and we lose track of time. For some it might be cooking, for others it might be watching a movie. Doing something enjoyable takes your mind away from thinking about stress at work. It is an effective way of resting your mind.

When you’re stressed you’re often overloading your brain. Moving away from these thoughts can re-energise you and help you see from a new perspective when you return to the same stressful situation at work.

Looking for more career advice? We’ve got tonnes of advice to help you succeed in your work life in our blogs here.