It is important to learn to keep an eye on your stress level before it becomes harmful. It is easier said than done but knowing yourself and observing your actions make it possible. I recommend that you employ the three strategies presented below, especially if there's something that you are struggling with. It is still worth exploring and putting these strategies into use even if you do not experience stress right now. By doing so, you will have the tools to manage and perhaps to even prevent stress.
1. Acknowledge stress
Excessive harmful stress builds up slowly over time, which is why it may be difficult to notice.
However, you can monitor yourself and learn to know when you are stressed. For instance, if you get a cold or have a headache or stomach pain often, you wake up feeling tired or you feel joy less and less often, you may experience excessive stress at work.
If you notice that you have these symptoms often, try to acknowledge that you are stressed. It is not easy, but acknowledging stress is the only way forward. If a colleague tells you that they are worried about your wellbeing, take it positively and consider if the concern is justified.
2. Set boundaries with work
It is easy to get caught up in expert work and you might feel at first that you can work for hours without a break. However, we know that working too many extra hours does not improve our output endlessly and that it actually puts your health at risk. Harmful stress increases the risk of developing a physical illness.
To set boundaries with work, try disabling notifications on your phone and ignoring work emails and other contacts after 18.00. You can disable notifications one at a time if it feels easier. This may not be possible if your work is global in nature, but you can try to set other boundaries that are compatible with your role. The key is to make sure that your phone and other smart devices do not prevent you from recovering from work.
3. Learn to be your best friend
We are usually more critical of ourselves than of others. It can be easy to feel like you have failed if something does not quite go to plan. This may lead to a harsh inner monologue, which can lead to a more critical attitude towards yourself, emotional eating or fear of failure.
To combat this, learn to speak to yourself kindly and to be the best friend who encourages, praises and thanks you and treats you with kindness and respect. To practise this, start by thanking yourself for even the smallest of wins.
Practise by taking small steps
These methods are not easy, but they are very useful, which is why I encourage you to practise them in small steps and with a colleague, if you want to. By adopting these strategies, you boost your recovery, learn to understand your values better and improve your alertness.
However, if you feel that things are going well at work and in your personal life, you can share these tips with your colleagues and support them, if necessary. At work, you can talk about having to rush, being stressed or having to multitask in your team chat or while taking a coffee break with your colleagues. We are all valuable as ourselves and at the end of our standard working hours, we deserve to be able to leave the office feeling happy and satisfied and to go home or to pursue our hobbies.
Employees are responsible for their own and their colleagues’ health and safety at work. If you notice a hazard or a health and safety risk, remember to report it to the occupational safety and health representative or the employer representative. Only reported hazards and risks can be addressed.
Sirkku Pohja, the author of the article, works as a work life expert at TEK. She has extensive experience in promoting equality, non-discrimination and occupational safety at work.