How can I manage and avoid harmful stress at work?

NURTURE yourself each and every day of the week with these 7 tips to help manage and avoid harmful stress:

1. N – NUTRITION

Importance of breakfast – breaking the fast.
Water – 2 litres a day.
Healthy snacks - fruit, energy oat bars, nut and dried fruit mixes, instead of high sugar and fat alternatives.
Fruit and vegetables – at least 5 a day. You can also have some of these as snacks.
Mealtime makeovers – protein power lunches and soothing carbohydrate suppers. Avoid fats, processed food, sugars.
Time - make the time to eat away from your desk to let your food digest. It’s a great time to use for thinking

2. U – UNDERSTAND CAUSES

Life events – e.g. illness, relationships.
Work pressures – e.g. work load, change, insecurity, unrealistic time pressures, deadlines, poor communication. There are more effective ways to work and overcome overload.
Juggling work/life balance – achieving the balance between work and life is a key challenge you should understand and address.
Identify the signs of stress – ‘hurry pattern’, mistakes, missing deadlines, sleep problems, lack of energy, health symptoms, headaches etc.

3. R – REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

Perfection – we do not have to be perfect!
Time management – realistic time management, realising and utilising your ‘best’ times of the day will ensure you get things done.
Prioritise – ask yourself what are your key priorities.
Discipline- especially regarding tasks. Do you really need to do that every day?
Big projects – tackle them with ‘bite’ sized chunks and delegate realistic tasks and goals if managing a team.

4. T – THINKING

Think positive – negative thoughts may lead to a fast and stressful response.
A question… ask yourself: “what am I thinking?”, “Is my thinking rational, helpful?”, “What might be a more helpful thought?” – Exchange your negative thoughts with positive thinking.
Worry – when you are worried about a situation think about the last thing you did really well.

5. U – UNDER CONTROL

Immunity – no one is immune from stress. It does manifest itself with many different symptoms.
Using resources - in stressful times we normally have the resources we need to cope. All we need to do is stop and think!
Change – consider changing your thinking, your circumstances and your physiology (e.g. exercise levels and diet).
You have 3 choices - to accept, to alter or to avoid.
Be prepared - your personal coping strategies and problem solving solutions available to you.

6. R – RELAXATION

“Me” time – it’s important to relax, family, friends, hobbies or sport are perfect for this.
Use visualisation techniques – e.g. imagine successfully completing a task.
Your personal meditation – e.g. thinking of a beautiful place for a few moments.
Time out – fresh air and a change of scenery can do wonders.

7. E – EXERCISE/ENVIRONMENT

Active – make activity part of everyday life (7 out of 10 people do not exercise enough to benefit their health).
Only half an hour – aim for 30 minutes, moderate activity, most days e.g. brisk walking, swimming or just an activity you enjoy. Some of the popular new activities: yoga and pilates - building strength and flexibility from inside out.
Create a healthy environment – be aware of the space around you, your working area, home office. Keep it clear and organised, use plants and natural lighting to promote clear thoughts and creativity.
Brain breaks – take regular breaks every 45 minutes.

NURTURE your own health and well-being.

There may be a number of reasons why you feel stressed. These include: unnecessary pressure, feeling out of control, being overloaded, not being able to organise yourself and not having the tools to create more time.

There are a range of courses and workshops available on Engagement and Personal Balance, which have been developed to help you overcome the causes and symptoms of stress, including: