Five Tips to Manage Stress at Work – Be Proactive, Not Reactive!

Five Tips to Manage Stress at Work – Be Proactive, Not Reactive!

Brought to you by Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

Five Tips to Manage Stress at Work – To Be Proactive, Not Reactive!

Irrespective of who you are or what you do, at times, you’re going to experience stress at work.

Especially at the moment.  With more and more people isolated due to COVID-19 restrictions and millions of people working from home, concentrating on your own well being right now has never been more critical. 

The key to managing your stress is to not ignore it.  You need to identify the cause of your stress, acknowledge it and then learn stress management strategies so you can deal with your stress effectively.

The crippling cost of stress in Australian workplaces

Pinning down an exact number of this statistic isn’t easy as there are many variables to consider. However, it’s estimated that stress in the workplace costs Australian companies between $10 – $14 billion every year, which is why it is a growing concern.

More than just the numbers

The lack of stress management results in lost productivity, people feeling isolated and depressed and increased absenteeism, not to mention the emotional roller coaster ride or spiral many people feel when it comes to dealing with stress.

So who’s responsible for stress in the workplace?

In all honesty it’s not about finger pointing. Ask most employee’s and they’ll say employers with unrealistic expectations are responsible for stress in the workplace. Remember, you’re an individual and responsible for how you think and act, & what meaning you give events in your life.

The fact is we all create our own stress based on our interpretations of events that happen at work or in our life.

It’s much easier to blame others for our stress and expect our world to change to suit us.

The reality though is much different. True change can only come from within, which starts with you.

Five Tips to Manage Stress at Work

After decades of teaching individuals and company teams about stress management, here are five tips I can give you to manage stress at work.

Understanding The Effects of Stress at Work  

First, you need to be open to understanding the cause of your stress at work. This will different for each of us.

It could be a certain person causing you stress. It could be a certain task such as cold calling people or following up on overdue invoices.  Or it could be something such as sales targets or KPI’s your supervisor has set, without any real input from you.

The fact is, once you understand the effect or reason for your stress, you can identify it and learn strategies to re-programme your mind to deal with it.  If a certain task causes you stress at work because you feel your skills are not good enough to handle it, speak to your supervisor or employer and ask for more training.  If it’s an unrealistic sales targets or KPI’s, discuss it with your manager to set more realistic expectations for both of you.

Communication about stress management in the workplace is key here if you are going to manage stress.

Taking Responsibility for Your Own Stress

We are all responsible for managing our own stress. Once we understand this, and begin to work on it, we can open up a whole new attitude to all areas of our lives which can catapult us to great things.

When you get cut off in traffic and don’t abuse the person, you’ll feel great. When you put your heart and soul into a task or project in your workplace, and it doesn’t work out, if you’ve given it your best, you’ll feel great.

Taking responsibility for your stress in your work and life is extremely empowering and a potent skill to have.  Taking responsibility will set you free from all the little things in life you put a lot of negative energy into.

Reducing Stress Through Biofeedback, Mindfulness and Meditation

When you think about it, your mind is an amazing organ. You can train your mind to remember positive events, and to focus on what you want and where you’re going in life.

Or, you can use that same mind to focus on all the negative things and events in your work or life which can destroy you.

This is where many people find mindfulness and meditation invaluable.

Take five minutes a day at the start of each day to get focused.  Vision how your day will go and what you’re going to achieve.  Breathe deeply to give your mind, body and soul the tools they need to deal with stress during the day.

The key to this is progress, not perfection.

Mediating before your workday begins trains your mind on what you want, not what you don’t want. It also gives you the attitude and skills to deal with negative events that pop up in life and at work so you learn from them, instead of allowing them to bog you down and eat you up.

Improving Relationships with Self and Others

 Sadly, many people work and live their lives trying to be something they are not. You only have to look at social media for this. Accepting yourself as a unique individual and for who you are, is something you need to embrace.  You need to remember that there is only one of you, which is critical to improving your relationship with yourself, and others, and to managing the stress in your work and personal life.

Enhancing Your Emotional Health

When the facilitators at Corporate Training Options talk about enhancing your emotional health in our stress management training courses, they can often see the students thinking, what is emotional health?

For my team and I, enhancing your emotional health is about Understanding Emotional Maturity.  It’s about being able to express emotions appropriately and exploring your own emotional fitness. It also involves learning strategies for building self-confidence and solving problems.  Maintaining emotional fitness includes Personal & work Goal setting and being able to review those goals without judgement. Once again, this is about progress, not perfection.

Is reducing your stress levels at work and focusing on your wellbeing a myth?

Not at all.  Corporate Training Options can provide you with guidance and support if and when you need it.  With webinars and online and in-house training in stress management, we can deliver stress management skills to people and organisations who desire growth, progress & staff development.

If you’re ready to learn more about stress management in your workplace or to upgrade your stress management skills, take a look at CTO’s Stress Management Course.

The Stress Management course will help you understand the nature and causes of workplace stress, emotional wellbeing and help you reduce stress in your life.

The topics covered include:

• Understanding Stress
• Taking Responsibility for your Own Stress
• Reducing Stress Through Biofeedback, Mindfulness and Meditation
• Improving Relationships with Self and Others
• Enhancing Your Emotional Health

You can also view our latest Webinar on Mindfulness and Wellbeing for tips you can use today to reduct stress and improve your wellbeing.

Why Choose Corporate Training Options?

• Your Trainers are certified experts who are real-world practitioners
• The courses are interactive, well organised and fun – making it easier for you to learn
• Small classes mean each trainee will receive individual attention and can be confident about the skills gained
• Our complimentary discovery consultation before your training ensures your objectives will be met
• CTO is a Business Excellence Award-winning company 

So if you’re ready to upgrade your skills, or you wish to tackle some new challenges, contact Corporate Training Options today for friendly, professional advice.

We’ll discuss your specific needs and tailor a training course to suit your requirements.