How do I overcome work stress?
As we study human history and human evolution, it is questionable how much our consciousness has evolved from our ancestors in the primitive age. Even today, scientists say, our subconsciousness accounts for more than 90% of our daily actions. Most of the subconscious minds are basic things such as survival instincts, fears, and defense mechanisms.
"We experience stress when we feel that situations are out of our control," says Melnick. It activates the stress hormone and, if chronic, wears down confidence, concentration, and well-being. She advises that you identify the aspects of the situation you can control and aspects you can't. Typically, you're in control of your actions and responses, but not in control of macro forces or someone else's tone, for example. "Be impeccable for your 50%," she advises. And try to let go of the rest.
Our ancestor's stress level could be based on hunting without being eaten by predators and must have been enormous at that time. In modern society, we don’t have to worry about being eaten or not finding food for the day. Yet the stress levels in our minds are not different.
In primitive times, their stress was more directly related to their survival. Our stress is more based on emotions and the way we perceive situations. Things like loneliness, fear of getting hurt, anxiety for failures, etc. can all be causes of stress.
It's not a simple world anymore where you can just go home to a safe cave at night and share the food you hunted and gathered that day with your family and even neighbors. The modern cavemen even carry their worries to bed worrying about tomorrow, next year, finances, the kid’s college, retirement, health, and more. For us, stress has become a big part of modern life. As primitive cavemen lit a fire and relaxed the day's tension while gazing at the moving flames; we turn on the TV or internet.
Studies show that almost 40% of people experience extreme stress at work, and this number only seems to be going up by the day. Work-related stress can have adverse effects on one’s physical and mental health, from migraines and fever to fatigue and irritability. While work stress is common, and often unavoidable, it is important to find healthy and effective coping strategies to reduce and manage it better.
Looking back at myself, I have always been struggling emotionally since I was born. I struggled in the operating room to survive against my illness. I struggled to be loved by my parents. My younger brother seemed to be loved more. I also pretended to be a nice girl in school to avoid being judged by classmates. This struggle for acceptance and love was the cause of a lot of stress in both my mind and body.
When I went to work, my stress level got worse. I strived to be recognized as a good worker, and I forced myself to do everything perfectly. I would readily become jealous if someone seemed better than me. I felt like a caveman struggling to survive on the battlefield of life. Ultimately, I got over the stress and that is what I want to share with you.
Just as the cavemen watched the fire and relieved stress, I spent time alone and meditated. That changed everything.
After meditation, I no longer struggled under any circumstances. Instead of struggling, I accepted myself as I am. I learned how to abandon the stress I had accumulated in my life. As I meditated I was able to empty my mind of all the things that gave me that stressful outlook. I realized that the situations I treated as a matter of survival were actually just framed that way by my mind. I saw that all my struggles and worries were just for my ego and that I was living to protect that ego all the time.
Let it be. I found this short and insightful sentence to be a philosophy that should be applied to me. I realized that I'm already perfect as I am, and if I didn’t realize this and accept myself, I would have to struggle forever. Since experiencing the different enlightenments and changes in myself from meditation my stress has completely gone. Now each day seems magical. Everything I do became easier. At work, I feel more comfortable with my co-workers and enjoy their company.
The factors that caused stress in my work disappeared. And above all, my body, which was always tired and sick, became healthy. I could sleep well, and the immune system disease I had that always bothered me gradually disappeared. I realized that I was the one who made myself sick.
For me, a stress-free life meant coming out of the cave where I was living my whole life. Always protecting myself, worrying about myself, my ideas, prejudices, and conceptions of the world around me were all illusions. I put my own limitations on myself and my happiness.
The moment I left the cave I confined myself in, I realized that I am complete as I am and that all circumstances surrounding me were sufficient as they are. I could accept myself, everybody, and everything just as it was. This was like a great weight being lifted from me and blinders taken off my eyes.
Do you want to overcome the stress of your life and work? Try meditation to get rid yourself of the pressure. Coming out of the cave of stress, you will see a new world unfold.
- Starting your day Right: Workplace stress may often be a build-up of stress from earlier events or negative moods, and may often show up when things get harder at work. Starting your day right can help you achieve a sense of control and clarity when it comes to tackling tasks at work. This would include getting sufficient sleep, eating a nutritious meal, and planning the day in an organised manner so that you’re not rushed or stressed before reaching the workplace.
- Plan your tasks and duties: A factor that often causes extreme stress is being unsure of what one is supposed to do. Planning ahead and arranging tasks in order of its importance, will not only prevent you from getting flustered and stressed, but it will also help you get through all your tasks well within time.
- Interpersonal Conflict: Interpersonal conflict is a common concern at work and is a major contributor to stress at work. Forming healthy relationships with one’s co-workers can foster better growth and positive feelings at work. It will also create a strong support system for one to rely on in unpleasant situations, or in the midst of conflict. However, you should not feel obligated to maintain a relationship with someone who might make you feel uncomfortable or does not respect your boundaries. In such cases, it is important to address the issue.
- Get rid of interruptions: Distractions and interruptions are all around us, and may often take our attention away from the task at hand. Thus, getting rid of distractions is an important step to focus better on work and avoid stressful situations. Switching off/ silencing the phone when working on important tasks, avoid taking short breaks constantly, try not to engage in casual conversation in the middle of a task, and setting achievable deadlines, are a few simple steps that can be employed to avoid distraction at work and reduce stress considerably.
- Avoid self-imposed stress: Achieving perfection is something that everyone aims for. However, it is important to remember that in the pursuit of achieving perfection at every task you do not impose unnecessary stress on yourself. The best way to approach a task is to work through it till the end, and then come back to it, and fix whatever is not working. Avoid thoughts that might undermine your potential and reduce your confidence.
- Prioritizing: Setting your priorities right is very important in order to avoid stress. It might often be impossible to get a lot of work done in a day, and instead of panicking and allowing stress to build up, decide what the most important jobs are and work accordingly. Thus, even if certain things are left at the end of the day, they are not of extreme importance and can be dealt with later.
- Taking breaks: Taking breaks is very important to prevent stress. This can be simple things like taking a small walk in between heavy work, looking away from the screen and focusing on breathing for a few minutes, etc. It would also include ending the workday at the designated time and not working every time every day. It would also include, not carrying work over into the weekend, thereby, reducing time to focus on oneself.
I hope this video about how to eliminate stress will be helpful for you.
