How to Deal With Stress at Work
2020 was a year full of challenges, changes, and as a result, a whole lot of stress!
Looking back at how that year changed our lives and the course of human history, I’m left wondering about how we overcame all those headaches and hardships. This led me to write and reflect on stress and to share some advice on how to deal with it at work and home, or maybe in the event of any future social upheavals.
What Is Stress and Where Does It Come From?
Well, from the moment we detect a threat, it only takes about 1–2 seconds for adrenaline to start pumping and for cortisol to peak in our brains. We don’t even have time to consider if it’s a real-life danger or if it’s only a regular conversation with one of our clients. It happens at a subconscious level and thus is difficult to control.
Imagine the scale of damage we’d be causing ourselves if we stressed all the time about things not worth stressing about — nowadays, with the number of stimuli around us it’s actually a common problem.
Stress often happens when we do things for the first time, and we have no prepared disposition or “pattern” in our mind, so we have to create a new one. This actually happens when we learn something. Remember, it happens to all of us. You’re not the only one ;)
Are You Familiar With the Concept of Distress and Eustress?
Stress, as it turns out, can also be a good thing!
For example, eustress is positive stress. It helps us to motivate ourselves to do various activities. Without it, it could be a challenge to get up from bed in the morning :p
Distress, on the other hand, is negative stress that causes damage to our bodies and minds over time.
Sounds great, but how do we strike a balance? It depends on the type of temperament you have. If you’re an introvert, you’ll be stressed in situations with too many stimuli (tasks, people around you, to-do lists, etc.). If you’re an extrovert or closer on a scale to this side, then you probably will be stressed out from not having much on your mind (maybe when there’s some downtime in a project?).
How to Deal With Stress?
First of all, you should know that when you feel stressed, it’s actually the best time to learn something or to develop yourself. So, don’t worry. Eventually stress could be a good thing.
Let’s imagine that you’re in a situation that you don’t like and don’t feel comfortable in. Ask yourself these three questions:
- What choice do I have?
- Can I do anything to change it?
- What will I do? What can I do?
If you can’t change the situation, you don’t have any choice, so try focusing on your emotions. I strongly recommend meditating, a great way of relaxing because it can physically change your brain and help you deal with stress.
Then there’s the adaptive way of relaxing like sport, healthy eating, talking with friends or family or people you trust. If necessary, maybe even a psychologist.
I don’t recommend using this strategy all the time, but in some situations, if you don’t have any influence on the stressor, it’s good to avoid it. Redirect your attention to something else.
We once had this discussion at codequest about dealing with stress. We came up with the idea that the best thing to do when you want to distract yourself from a stressor is to help other people — charity work!
Ok, what if you can have an impact on the stressful situation?
Great, then act on it! Learn, try to do something different, and use an action-oriented approach. Of course, it’s always good to consider your emotions and feelings at the same time.
Don’t forget about how many things you have around you that can help you deal with stress. For example, you have:
- Environment
- Family
- Health
- Money/Material resources
- Personal development
- Social relations
- Career/Work or study
- Passions
- Self-efficacy and value
- Optimism
- Sense of control
- Expression of emotions
- Healthy lifestyle
- Rational, realistic thinking
- Spirituality, faith
- Prosocial orientation
