3 Simple Strategies For a Less Stressful Work Year.
By Miriam Karanja
The truth is, most of us have been existing in limbo for the past couple of years. Blame Covid-19, the tough economic times, responsibility fatigue, increase in mental health issues; but most of us have been in a daze. Coping. Doing our day by day without any sense of direction. Not exactly sure how we feel about ourselves, or about anything. Just existing. — https://bit.ly/2WXgbFj
Happy New Year guys! (Are we still allowed to say that? Mid-January?)
I have racked my brain for the past week trying to figure out the best way to introduce this blog. After the December festivities, the January back-to-school chaos and the overall fatigue that is everything that has been going on in the world, my mind has been, well, tired.
̶O̶r̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶b̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶a̶m̶ ̶S̶t̶r̶e̶s̶s̶e̶d̶.
What is Stress to you? How would you define it? How does it affect you? How do you deal with it? Are your coping methods healthy or unhealthy? Are your stress levels healthy or unhealthy?
Stress in the workplace.
Stress in the workplace can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Sometimes it can lead to poor health and even injury. (Source — https://bit.ly/3I8ZARq)
Usually, stress at the workplace can manifest itself as:
Feeling anxious, irritable or depressed
Fatigue
Muscle tension or headaches
Social withdrawal
Decreased Libido
Loss of interest at work
Trouble sleeping
Problems concentrating
Stomach Issues
Use of Drugs or Alcohol to cope
So, with what seems like impending doom…(Decreased Libido???) How can we manage stress at work so as to keep it at a healthy level and make sure it doesn’t become overwhelming?
Here are 3 strategies to try!
Set S.M.A.R.T Goals
The beginning of every year means taking up the task that is planning out the year. How will it play out? What do we need to do to achieve our goals? It is important to have a clear path of what you need to do. And how can you do this?
Well here is a fascinating article (New Year Resolutions. How Does My Career Fit In All These?) that I found. Written by Paul Kasimu who is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Safaricom PLC, this article will take you through how you can take stock of your past year as a way to prepare for your new one. And why it is important to make an inventory of your mindset, skillset, and toolset and how that is important to your career.
Get Organized
For most of us, one of the major stressors at the workplace is feeling overwhelmed. Meeting deadlines, organizing meetings, talking to uncooperative clients, meeting your KPIs etc.
All these, on a daily, can be quite overwhelming even to the best of us. So what can we do?
Being organized and learning how to prioritize (your tasks) can be a great way to make a major reduction in your stress. Here’s how to do it:
Clarify your goals
Prioritize against set goals — Focus on 2 or 3 things each week that will have the biggest impact on your goals.
Focus on 2 -3 tasks max (per week) — Use your goals to evaluate the importance of every task.“Is this getting me closer to or further away from my goals?” If the answer is anything other than “closer to,” it’s not a priority.
Set deadlines —Set realistic deadlines for everything, and everything will get done
Use your calendar!
Make a to-do list
Kick Your Bad Habits
We all have bad habits. Yes, even you.
Bad habits in the workplace can include among others: Showing up to work late, Wasting time, Not accepting feedback, Lying, Abusing your privileges, Not being a Team Player.
At home, bad habits (that can affect your work) may include: Not Exercising, Poor eating habits, Not getting enough sleep, Too much Screen time, Too much Social Media, Not having Clear Home & Work boundaries etc.
Old ways will never open new doors.
And as long as you are stuck in the rut that is your bad habits, you will never see any positive change.
Here are a few tips to break the bad habits that may be holding you back:
Stay Positive — Simply, practice Gratitude. (The Science Behind Gratitude (and How It Can Change Your Life)
Focus on what you can control — Much of the anxiety we experience is often caused by things we cannot control. The best way to combat that is to only focus on the things we can control, rather than the outcomes we can’t.
Resist Perfectionism — Don’t fear mistakes, learn from them.
We are only 17 days into the New Year, and what better time than the present to take stock of where we are in life. Take control of what we want to achieve. And find simple, yet effective ways to achieve these things?
There’s no good reason to make life harder than it has to be. — Is my motto this year.
What’s yours?
