Friday, June 6, 2014

Managing Stress in the Workplace

Recently, I started a new job within my company in the Communications Department. I am super excited and proud to be a part of such a smart team of people. My department has their hand in nearly every major project in the company, and I love being behind the scenes planning strategic and smart communications.

Thankfully, my Crohn's is well managed at this point in my life, and I am able to focus on a new job. Although my health is in a good place, managing stress in a new environment when my routine has complete altered is new challenge. Being the type A personality that I am, managing stress in all areas of life has always been a bit of a struggle. I easily acknowledge that I tense up easily. But the key for me is to notice when I am tense and tell myself to physically relax. Take deep breaths.

When starting a new job, it is perfectly normal to feel a bit overwhelmed. I expected that. Soaking in new information takes time and patience. And feeling stressed at work when you have been working for ten years in that position is normal too! Work can be stressful at times.

But how can you learn to manage stress well in the workplace so that you're not collapsing with exhaustion by 5:00 pm each day?

I'd like to share some tips that I have learned along the way:

Eat Breakfast
I'm sure you have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I believe it. I never miss a breakfast. My morning must start with some fruit and protein. When I have a full belly, I am better able to concentrate. On mornings when I dive right into a project or answering emails for an hour, I feel more stressed and my concentration levels are low because my stomach is grumbling. My breakfast and coffee always start my day off well.

Make a List
I know, I know, this is a very "type A" thing to do. My husband makes fun of all my lists. I can't imagine going to the grocery store with no grocery list! The idea of trying to remember every single item we need for the week stresses me out.

There is something internally soothing about writing down all the craziness of things to do that day, visualizing them on paper and checking them off one by one. When I see a plan in place for the day, I have confidence that I won't forget anything and my tasks will get done, because a list is keeping me accountable. At work, I make several types of lists. I make a list on Monday of all the things I need to accomplish before Friday. I make a list each day of the tasks I need to check off for that day. I keep a lists in front of my at all times. I never let it get buried under piles of papers or thrown in the trash. That list is my roadmap for the day.

Take a Quick Leisurely Walk
I work in your standard office environment. I sit at a desk and work at a computer most of the time. When I have been hunched over working hard at a project and my brain feels like it is spinning, I often force myself to stand up and take a walk around the halls. Go get a drink of water, get a snack, look outside, maybe go stand outside for a minute and smile up at the sun, or briefly say hello to a co-worker. Walking around and taking a mental break is essential to relieving stress that may be building during a workday. Then within five to ten minutes, I am able to come back to my desk with a clear head and renewed concentration.

There Will Always Be Work
When the work seems never-ending and always building, I remind myself that there will always be work to do. There are only so many hours in a day. The important thing is learning to prioritize your most important tasks for the day or week first and working down from there. I feel good if I get to the end of the day and my top three most important duties are complete. If I have a few more items on my to-do list that did not get accomplished but do not necessarily have a strict deadline for that day, then I know that it is ok to pick those up the next day or a few days later.

Since work is really never-ending, it is vital to your personal health and happiness to know when to close up shop for the day, turn your phone off, stop checking email and spend time with your family. Go play with the kids. Cuddle with your husband. Watch a move or read a good book. And don't talk about work. Don't even think about it! Get a good nights rest, wake up, eat your breakfast and start the day fresh. My body needs physically relaxation time to stay healthy. I have to have time to recharge, chill out and focus on my relationships.

At the end of the day, the relationships in my life are what is most important to me. At my funeral someday, I would rather be remembered for how much I cared for and loved people than how good of a worker I was. Although career accomplishments are great achievements to be recognized at the end of one's life, life is really meaningless to me without making an impact on other's lives, loving people and developing deep relationships with my husband, future children, parents, siblings, friends and co-workers.


Managing stress at work is no easy task. Some struggle with it more than others. It is a choice to wake up each new day, take deep breaths, take a walk, prioritize your list and keep a clear perspective of what is important in life.


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