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Get rid of work stress

14 November 2017

BeFit

This is the Week of Work Stress. A good time to realize what your current level of work stress is. Statistics don’t lie: as much as 40% of employees feel work stress on a regular basis. Here are 6 tips to stay mentally fit at work.

What is work stress?
Work stress isn’t necessarily caused by work alone. A combination of a busy private life and a busy work schedule can result in stress. Eventually this can lead to reduced functioning at work or even worse: a burnout.

Naturally, everyone experiences work pressure differently and some people are more sensitive towards this than others. Do you find it difficult to say ‘no’? Are you a perfectionist or afraid to make mistakes? In these cases you are more likely to get stressed-out.

Doing nothing doesn’t do a thing!
Doing absolutely nothing for a while or enjoy a week of vacation to get rid of stress? According to neuropsychologist Erik Scherder this doesn’t fix the problem. Because stress is a result of multiple factors, there is no such thing as a one size-fits-all solution. It is about the combination of change on multiple levels.

#1 Educate yourself
When you feel like you are unable to do something, this might give you stress. It doesn’t hurt to update your skills and knowledge anyway. This doesn’t necessarily mean an (expensive) education, but can also be a challenging project that gives you the opportunity to develop yourself. You can also ask a more experienced colleague to be your mentor.

#2 What gives you energy?
Don’t focus on reducing tasks, but focus on what gives you energy. You can also make a list of tasks that cost energy and one of tasks that give you an energy boost.

#3 Quit multitasking
It appears to be efficient, but it is everything but smart: multitasking. A cluttered mind is the result. Focus on one thing at once, finish this and then move on to the next. The proven Pomodoro technique might help you with this.

#4 Don’t procrastinate
Postponement is a big factor in work stress. As tempting as it can be to save the difficult tasks for last, it mostly results in too much work in too little time. About to start a big project? Cut up bigger tasks into multiple smaller tasks for a better overview. This lowers the barrier to start and motivates more, because you can finish more tasks on the to-do list.

#5 Make sure to switch between thinking, moving and doing nothing
“I don’t have time to take short breaks more often and I don’t have energy left for exercise”. A logic thought when your head feels overly full. Ease your mind by switching between think- and do-tasks and adding more movement to your day. Take a short walk outside or give it your all in the gym. You can also do Yoga for an extra energy boost or meditate a few minutes to help you relax. Do know that being a couch potato for an evening is also very good to relieve stress.

#6 Talk about it
To just keep on going until you crash is a good way to show your dedication. However no one has ever benefitted from having a burnt out colleague. Don’t feel ashamed when you feel stressed and always take yourself seriously. Ask your friends, colleagues, family or professionals for help and try to find the cause of your high stress level. Even just talking about it will reduce work stress.

How financially fit are you?
Besides a healthy life, you want a healthy pension. By staying aware of the pension market and react to it in a flexible way, we keep your pension in top condition. Do you already have a pension scheme with BeFrank? Then you can see how your pension is doing on your Personal Pension page. Here you will also find the most important updates. Do you not have a pension scheme with BeFrank yet? Ask your employer about the possibilities.