How to deal with stress at work: Tips for maintaining your well-being

Workplace stress is at an all-time high, with 94% of workers reporting feeling stress on the job, and it causes a whopping 1 million Americans to miss work each day. Anyone with a job can likely attest to this, as it’s expected to experience stressful situations at work, even if you love what you do.

Meeting stringent deadlines, dealing with difficult co-workers, working long hours, and having difficulty getting enough sleep are everyday stressors everyone experiences because of their job, regardless of their profession.

While some stress at work is expected, chronic stress can negatively affect your health. So, if your job stress is out of control, you may experience higher blood pressure, insomnia, and a weakened immune system.

So, what can you do to reduce the amount of work-related stress you experience?

Of course, switching jobs is always an option, but finding a completely stress-free job is only possible for some. That’s why a more effective method is to learn how to deal with stress at work.

Learning to manage stress at work effectively is one of the best things you can do for your mental and physical health (not to mention your career). With lowered stress levels, you’ll perform better on the job and enjoy a more rewarding home life.

That’s why I’ve put together these practical tips for dealing with stress at work.

Top sources of workplace stress

Certain situations at work are more stressful than others, such as a fast-approaching deadline for a project you haven’t started or collaborating with an unruly co-worker. After all, if your workday consisted of watching TV and playing video games at your leisure, you likely wouldn’t have any stress at all.

Yet, most of us don’t have that luxury, and we regularly deal with these sources of work-related stress:

• Excessive workloads. Having a stress-free day is challenging when you’re constantly fighting against the clock to get everything done. Some positions have more pressing responsibilities than others, and the workload can sometimes become too much. Contending with an excessive workload and long hours is a recipe for burnout, which can cause health problems like heart disease and high blood pressure.

• Low salaries. According to a 2021 study by the American Psychological Association, low pay is the #1 cause of excessive stress in the workplace. Inflation is on the rise, and Americans are struggling financially. Having to stretch funds and dealing with the uncertainty of paying bills and other expenses is a significant cause of stress for many employees.

• Reduced opportunities for advancement. Staying in the same position for years without a chance to advance can make employees feel stuck and cause stress. This stressor is also related to low pay, as advancing in a company often means receiving more money. Yet, many employees feel there’s no way out of their financially tight situation without opportunities to move up.

• Lack of support. Employees feel alienated and stressed when work ceases to become a team effort. That’s especially true if they’re already dealing with an excessive workload. If employees don’t have proper support from co-workers and their superiors, their stress levels can rise.

• Work that’s not challenging or engaging enough. Most professionals don’t just want to go through the motions at work; they actually want to engage and challenge themselves. Yet, not every job provides exciting work that makes a real impact, which can lead employees to lose focus and feel stress due to a mundane work environment.

• Unclear or unrealistic performance expectations. Not knowing what you’re supposed to do can be a massive source of stress, especially if your managers tell you two different things. For instance, one manager may reward you for a task while your supervisor scolds you, which can become very difficult. Unrealistic performance expectations are also stressful, as employees struggle to meet insane quotas and deadlines that throw their work-life balance out of whack.

• Not having any control over job-related decisions. Not having any control over your job can certainly make you feel the effects of stress. Without any say over what you need to do, each upcoming work week becomes a source of anxiety — as you’re at the mercy of your superiors.

These are the most common reasons employees report stress, but they aren’t the only ones.

The good news?

You can successfully deal with workplace stressors through proper stress management. This applies to all types of stressors. There are many ways to learn how to deal with stress at work.

Furthermore, they don’t involve quitting your job to find something better. Remember, stress can appear in any workplace. This includes the ones you love.

Coping with stress is the best way to preserve your mental health and avoid the complications that come with chronic stress.

When stress gets out of control

If you don’t learn how to deal with stress at work, you could develop some health problems that can wreak havoc on your life. That’s because your work stress doesn’t just go away at the end of the day if you don’t deal with it.

Instead, it lingers inside and can raise blood pressure and heart rate, increase the risk of heart disease, and weaken the immune system’s defenses.

Beyond that, excessive work-related stress has also been linked to obesity, depression, and anxiety.

People also tend to cope with stress in unhealthy ways. For instance, it’s common for stressed employees to cope by eating junk food, smoking cigarettes, or drinking alcohol — which can lead to other health problems such as cancer.

Insomnia is another condition that’s directly linked to stress levels, especially work-related stress. Stressed-out employees often lay awake at night. They worry about money problems, excessive workload, or a steadily approaching deadline.

This ruins their sleep quality. This is another vicious cycle. The less sleep you get, you will likely feel groggy, irritated, and stressed at work.

Insomnia is also closely related to absenteeism, which occurs when you show up to work but aren’t productive. Keeping up with your work tasks can be challenging when you’re sleep-deprived and have nonexistent energy levels.

These reasons make it imperative to learn healthy coping methods to avoid complications, bad habits, and negative thoughts.

Tips for how to deal with stress at work

Now that you know what elevated stress levels will do to your health, it’s time to learn healthy ways to relieve stress.

No matter how stressful your job is, there are always ways to reduce stress. Breathing exercises and relaxation techniques may be all you need to destress, or the situation may be more serious.

For example, if you’re dealing with an excessive workload or unruly co-workers, you’ll need to seek help from your superiors or the human resources department.

Either way, there are steps you can take to make your work life less stressful, so let’s learn how.

Develop healthy stress responses

First, you need to alter your stress response. If your remedy for a long, stressful day at work is to disappear inside a bottle, you should reevaluate that response.

Instead of drinking your sorrows away, why not hit the treadmill instead?

Exercise reduces the adverse effects of stress, but its benefits don’t stop there. It also boosts your mood, improves confidence, and pumps out copious amounts of ‘feel-good’ endorphins.

Besides physical activity, another healthy stress response is to get lost in the things you love. Make time for your favorite hobbies and activities, such as reading novels and working on cars.

You may also enjoy yoga and playing music. Include whatever interests you. Engaging in a hobby or a fun activity will engage your brain and help you relieve stress very healthily.

Seeing loved ones and family members after a hard work day can help relieve stress, and socializing can help you deal with stress.

Improving your sleep quality will go a long way toward relieving stress and improving your mood. This will also give you enough energy to power through the workweek.

Speak with your higher-ups

If your stressors are too much to handle (such as insane workloads or 14-hour workdays), you must be proactive and act.

Speak to your manager or supervisor and discuss developing a plan to help you. The purpose here isn’t to complain but to diligently seek solutions to your issues. Whether you’re facing an impossible workload or are dealing with abuse from co-workers, don’t be afraid to speak up.

Your manager or supervisor is responsible for creating a productive work environment. Therefore, they are motivated to help you. They can address your co-workers. Additionally, they can divide some of your workloads.

Your higher-ups can also make candid suggestions to help improve your performance. For instance, you may need help implementing better time management, which will make your job and life easier.

The point is that it’s much better to speak up and seek help than to suffer in silence.

Create a pre-work ritual

What are your mornings like before you get to work?

Are you scrambling to shower and get dressed before devouring a cup of cold coffee left over from the night before? If so, it’s likely that you show up to work already stressed from rushing around. That’s why there’s real benefit in developing a pre-work ritual that lowers your stress levels before you clock in.

First, ensure you wake up early enough to prepare for work at a relaxed pace without sacrificing sleep.

Next, prepare yourself a nutritious breakfast and a fresh cup of coffee. Afterward, you could unwind for a few minutes with a newspaper or novel while eating. Then, you can commute to work with a full stomach, a peaceful mind, and plenty of energy to face the day.

Do this, and you’ll likely experience less stress during the day overall.

Develop a stress-free work environment

Does your office chair dig into your lower back for all eight hours of the day? Then, it’s worth seeking a replacement or using pillows to compensate.

The idea is to do what you can to eliminate as much stress as possible from your desk.

If you stare at computer screens all day, taking regular breaks for your eyes can help relieve stress. I recommend implementing the 20/20/20 rule.

What’s that?

For every 20 minutes you spend looking at a screen, you look away at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds straight. That will help you avoid eye strain and other complications like headaches and eye-watering.

If you can decorate your desk/workspace, do your best to use calming colors and decor, as that can help reduce stress. Blues, greens, pinks, and whites are very soothing colors, so use them wherever you can around your work area.

Take a walk at lunch

Spending eight hours straight locked in an office building isn’t good for anyone’s well-being, so taking a break for a brief walk at lunchtime can be a real lifesaver.

After you eat, try walking around the building or the block if you have time.

This will give you time to appreciate nature, breathe fresh air, and get some much-needed exercise. Also, seeing the sunshine and hearing the birds chirp will help boost your mood, which can help give you enough strength to get through the rest of the day without experiencing any stress.

Final thoughts: How to deal with stress at work

No matter your job type, stress at work is sometimes inevitable. The answer is not to run — but to find healthy ways to cope with and relieve tension. Deep breathing, exercise, hobbies, and seeing friends and family are all healthy stress responses — so aim to include them in your routine.

The more you can deal with your work-related stressors, the more you’ll be able to forget about work and unwind during your time.

More resources:
Top 10 causes of stress at work (and what you can do about them)
Employee requests stress leave from work: What you need to know
The 5 emotional intelligence competencies you need to have