FIVE TIPS FOR DE-STRESSING IN HIGH-PRESSURE JOBS
We spend a great deal of our lives working, and often our place of work can feel like a high-pressure environment. While deadlines, fast-paced work and demanding hours can have their positive sides, they can also cause stress, anxiety and other mental health issues that not only affect your ability to work – they affect your whole life outside of work too. It’s in recognition of the damaging effects of high-pressure work that this article looks at de-stressing methods in the world of work. By following the tips below, you’ll be taking better care of the mental health of the people around you, and yourself.
SUPPORT NETWORKS
The first thing you should consider if you or someone close to you is suffering from the stress imposed by a high-pressure job is where a support network might lighten the burden. Support networks can be personal – involving friends and family – or professional, with bosses, colleagues and HR professionals at hand to help stressed individuals depressurize following a difficult period at work.
If you are suffering from stress that you feel is leading you to destabilized mental health, start looking to your support network for help. If you know someone close to you is experiencing high levels of stress, have a conversation with them in which you suggest they engage with their support network. Sharing problems and ranting about work can do a world of good, while other people will be able to offer their perspective and advice, which can serve to change your own outlook on your predicament.
TIME OFF
This strategy is for those who feel they’ve been burning the candle at both ends for too long – and would benefit from a short break from the job that’s getting them down. The first thing to do in this situation is to talk to a superior about your problems. Approach a boss that you trust and ask them for a private, one-on-one conversation. Tell them that you’re struggling with stress; they’re obliged to help you get better.
There are various ways in which stressed individuals can soothe themselves in the wake of a difficult period at work. You might consider one of the following:
* Taking a long weekend to go to a spa for some relaxing, luxurious treatments
* Asking to work from home for a period of time – and enjoying the benefits of working in your pajamas from your couch
* Taking a period of unpaid leave and concentrating in this period on relaxing activities that you know bring you calm and joy
* Taking an impromptu holiday with a chunk of your paid leave; there’s nothing like a cocktail on the beach to help you unwind
Even a few evenings in a row spent indulging in leisure pursuits, relaxing with friends, or watching your favorite movies or TV show can help you start to process and leave the stress of your job behind.
CHANGE YOUR ROLE
Sideways career moves are another helpful back-up for those who’re stressed in their current position. If your role is a particularly stressful one, and you feel that you’re going to burn out if you continue in it for much longer, you can always talk with your employer about relocating to a different department. Failing that, you’ve got the world of work at your fingertips thanks to internet job sites. Make some applications and see where they lead you.
Then there are those moves that require additional education. After many years working as a nurse, for instance, the long hours and high-paced atmosphere of attending to multiple patients might become too much to bear – especially for those entering old age. It’s at this juncture that a master’s degree in nurse education could provide a new lease of life. Walsh University’s MSN in nursing education online program is the perfect place to get this qualification. With plenty of exciting opportunities presented by online courses, it’s a great way to move into a role that involves less stress. You can spend your time teaching others, instead, and can be a most natural career move.
PROFESSIONAL HELP
Seeking professional help is thankfully becoming a more accepted and encouraged action for those suffering from stress, pressure, anxiety, and other mental health ailments. It’s an option you should always consider on the table – there for when you feel that your stress is getting the better of you and that you need some help in talking through and processing your problems. You can find counselors and therapists online, or you can go to your doctor who will be able to refer you to local services as and when you require them. You may also have a dedicated workplace therapist if you’re working within a large company. Don’t be afraid to book yourself in for a chat – you’ll find that talking about your problems will help reduce the pressure they create in your life.
ORGANIZE WORK SOCIAL EVENTS
The final tip for those looking to reduce the stresses they encounter in their place of work is to make sure that regular work social events allow for bonding and problem-sharing with your co-workers. If you consider yourself to be in a high-pressure role – whether as a nurse, a lawyer or a fireman – you will likely have little time on the job to chat and relax with colleagues who likely share in your levels of stress.
During these social events you can complain and laugh at your positions at work, and you’ll form the social bonds with those who work around you that’ll help make your working life a whole lot more bearable. Make social media groups and shared chats so that you’re able to organize things quickly come the weekend. Encourage your bosses to put some company money into social events. Take the initiative and become social secretary for your company or workplace, taking the time yourself to get people together in a range of fun pursuits – from nights in bars through to team-building events like paintballing and sporting fixtures.
STRESS IS TEMPORARY
These tips are provided to help workers who’re suffering from extreme and disruptive levels of stress in their working life. By enacting one of the above five strategies, you’ll be able to de-stress in a constructive and sustainable way. Stress is temporary, it’s important to remember. Don’t suffer in silence, and don’t allow an extended period of stress to damage other parts of your life, if you can help it. By being assertive and proactive, you’ll be able to bust your stresses, banishing them to your past to make way for a brighter future.
Mandy X