The beginning of the workweek can be very stressful – you are assigned new tasks and projects, deal with changes that may have happened over the weekend, and realize there are still five days left until Friday. Coping with this in a positive manner is crucial to not feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. While a little stress is good to motivate and push us through a difficult task, both short term and long term stress can cause pain and illness in your body. It is vital to learn how to manage stress well in order for you to maintain your health more effectively. Here are some ideas to help you eliminate stress in your workday and improve your wellbeing and productivity:
It all starts with sleep.
Try to go to bed around the same time every night to ensure you get an average of eight hours of sleep each time. Maintaining a sleep schedule that gives your body plenty of time to recover from the day will leave you feeling refreshed and ready to go in the morning.
Prioritize your workload.
Once you get to work, make yourself a list of things you need to accomplish that day and highlight the most important or most urgent ones. Those are the tasks you should try to accomplish first while you still have enough energy. Then, as you start to get tired or burned out, take care of the tasks that don’t necessarily need as much brainpower, such as checking your emails and other small tasks.
Do one thing at a time.
After you have prioritized your tasks for the day, complete them one at a time. This way you won’t be overwhelmed by your workload, and after each task is completed it will leave you feeling more accomplished as you meet your goals for the day.
Take advantage of your lunch break.
You are given a break for a reason. Use this time to stop thinking about work, enjoy your food, or do something that relaxes you. Try to eat food that is nutritious and will give you the energy you need to carry you through the work day. You could also go on a walk to clear your mind and move your body after having to sit still at a desk all morning.
Prepare for tomorrow.
Before you leave, take the last few moments of your workday to prepare yourself for the next day. Organize your workspace, write down any reminders you might need, and do whatever else may ease your start to the day and help you work more efficiently. Your future self will thank you for it.
Disconnect and find your balance.
Once you are done with work, actually be done with it. It is hard nowadays since we are always connected on our electronic devices, but make an effort to use this time to take care of personal things. Do what you love. Spend time with friends or family, get some exercise, or simply relax. Finding the correct balance between your personal life and your career is so important to maintaining your health and not letting stress weigh you down.
