If you are back to work after a break for the holidays, you may be remembering how stressful your job situation can be! Stress is a contributing factor to illness and chronic disease and lowers your satisfaction with your life! Consider making some changes in your workplace to relieve the stress!
Take Care of Yourself
Stressful work situations can involve long hours with too much sitting, skipping meals or relying on unhealthy fast food and excessive caffeine to make it through your day! A stressful work environment may mean you are unable to fully step away from your job, checking email late into the night or never feeling like you are fully off the clock! This is an area you can control, and it is essential to your well-being!
Plan and pack healthy lunches and snacks, drink plenty of water, and make sure that you are taking regular breaks from your desk! Get up and stretch, walk around the office and give your eyes a break from screens. Taking a break from your intense focus can also give you an opportunity to interact with other coworkers, building relationships and a stronger social network with colleagues.
Take care of yourself away from the workplace as well! Make time for regular exercise, healthy eating, and time with family and friends. Let your boss know that you are unable to check email after work hours. Schedule a relaxing therapeutic massage, read a good book, or go see a funny movie! Making more time for you makes life fun and can lower your stress level significantly!
Make Changes
Which parts of your job are the most stressful? Do you have a long commute, a demanding boss, or an overwhelming work load? Which changes could you make? If switching companies does not feel like an option, maybe being allowed to telecommute a few days per week or sitting down with your boss to have a serious conversation about your workload could make a positive difference. Nothing is likely to change unless you commit to making the changes necessary to preserve your health!
