5 steps that will help you to eliminate workplace stress (Guest Blog)

With work, comes stress. It is a part of life. You can't deny the fact that work involves many tasks that stress you out. The question is, how can you turn over the table? By following the five steps that can help you knock your stress-level down. Have a look:

Identify the cause

One of the most difficult tasks is to identify the cause of your issues. You know that you are facing some problems, but yet you don't know the reason. In a workplace, there are many issues that take you under their fold.According to American Psychological Association, some workplace stress stems from 'low salaries, excessive workloads, and few opportunities for growth or advancement, work that's uninteresting or that isn't challenging, a lack of social support, and a lack of power over your career.'

All these issues have a negative effect on your body. You start experiencing sleep disturbances, headaches, shorter temper, and stomachaches; or have difficulty concentrating. Aggravating the situation, people who experience excessive stress indulge in unhealthy habits such as smoking cigarettes, consuming unhealthy foods, or abusing drugs and alcohol.

Socialize with your co-workers

You don't need to be a social fly and show up every time on the workspace of others, but you should have a few talks with your colleagues. It actually helps you work with more zeal. Apart from that,you feel a sense of satisfaction after talking to your colleagues. Even if you bring some controversial subjects to your discussion, you still feel you have people around you with whom you can exchange your views. This will really help you in the long-run as you will be aware of different types of people and their different psyches.

According to Austin Paley, corporate marketing communications manager at web-design agency Blue Fountain Media,"you will begin to understand one another on a more individual level and work in a more collaborative environment as a result." Taking into account the moods and stress-creating situations of people, he said that projects "can be very stressful if you're working with people you don't know well". Lead the team you're working with through team-building exercises when you have downtime — whether it's playing a cooperative game, going out for food or just doing something you all love — together in your free time.

Unplug

The hazards of a virtual world are countless. You get constant notifications from Facebook, and constant phone calls from home. Compounding the issue, texts and email updates also keep poking you. It seems like virtual world has a mission to stop people from being calm and relaxed. It gives you so many reasons to get worried. So, just try to unplug your devices. Stay connected with your colleagues by offering them your services on a big project, or by asking them to collaborate with you. This will decrease your workload, which will in turn, help you stay productive and stress-free.

Keep a handwritten to-do list

Keeping a handwritten to-do list seems tedious in this digital age. You might find it wasteful and unnecessary but believe me, it will help you have a clear outline of your daily tasks. Pasley also gave his two cents to the notion of writing out the tasks. He says,"by having a handwritten to-do list, my tasks for the day never get lost amongst all the other things happening on my computer over the course of a day, and I don't stress out over whether or not I'm forgetting any important tasks."

Take breaks

Have you heard something called power naps? A kind of short sleep that is taken to restore one's mental vigilance. Similarly, breaks are taken to restore your mental and physical alertness. So, keep taking breaks. Don't get glued to your chair as it will increase your chances of getting stressed.

Author Bio:
Ashley Albert is the author of this blog. She is a motivational speaker and instructor at essay writing company from shineessay.com and gives speeches related to work attitude and professional behavior. She currently works as a freelancer. You can also follow her at different social networks like Facebook and Twitter.