Six Stress-Busters That Will Ease Your Stress At Work

Does your heart beat faster at work and you have trouble sleeping at night? Those are just a couple of symptoms for work-induced stress. Other indications of being stressed at work include headaches, tense muscles, upset stomach, feeling fatigued all the time, and even experiencing chest pains.

Workers often take those symptoms for granted. But these danger signs can be more serious than you think. Deadly serious in fact.

What worries you the most about work and life?

Harvard and Stanford researchers last October found that workplace tension could take from six months to three years off your life. The study cut across many kinds of jobs and income levels. A couple of big worries held by all of the groups surveyed were the fear of losing a job and health insurance.

"If we're living in a constant state off fight or flight," says wellness coach Emily Soares Proctor in a printed report, "the stress response happens over and over again, chronically upsetting your entire system and creating the environment for exhaustion and disease."

While you might question one of the survey's "findings"-that workplace stress can take months or years off your life-both Proctor and the Harvard survey agree on one thing: you must take action by taking steps to reduce workplace stress.

It's normal to experience some stress at work. But too much of it lowers your productivity along with your physical and emotional well-being. As mentioned previously, you need to deal with it. "Managing stress is the key to reversing these outcomes," concludes the Harvard/Stanford survey.

Can workplace stress be managed and ameliorated?

Of course it can. But you need to take the responsibility by blowing off steam in healthy ways by using stress-busters (SBs) that work for you.

Before listing some of the SBs, let's take a look at self-induced stress from drinking, drugging, or smoking. Those symptoms are the easiest to cure. That's because all you need to do is stop doing what's causing the symptoms. If you're having trouble quitting something, join a self-help group like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.

Six powerful stress-busters that allow you to blow off steam in healthy ways

SB #1: EXERCISE. It's a powerful stress reliever and makes you feel better. Find an exercise-like walking, swimming, cycling, or working out at a gym-that acts as a stress buster that works for you. You can even do some simple stretching exercises at your desk. It's well known that exercise helps you deal with stress.

SB #2. Listen to music-the kind that soothes you.

SB #3. TAKE A NAP or meditate. I've discovered twenty minutes of meditating during the day provides more energy and makes me feel more refreshed than napping.

SB #4. READ A BOOK that interests you. When I was a college freshman, I found a paperback novel lying around the dorm and found that reading a few pages between periods of study and at odd moments during the day relaxed my mind. I still read for relaxation.

SB#5. TALK TO SOMEONE you trust or see a mental health practitioner.

SB#6. BE WILLING TO QUIT YOUR JOB and start searching for another. Even if you don't quit, a willingness to do so will ease your tension. Why? Because you committed to doing something about it and believe that relief is in sight.

The reversal of stress symptoms

I've already mentioned that you-not your boss-are responsible for reversing your symptoms. Your employer doesn't give a hang about your job satisfaction or the trajectory of your career. Whether your workplace stress is created by conditions surrounding your work-like a crazy boss-or self induced by how you think, live, and manage your work environment, you are responsible for fixing it.

Don't give up this responsibility.

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4 Reasons You Procrastinate and How to Overcome Them

Do you ever put off a task only to find yourself in a mess of panic and anxiety as you scramble to finish it before the due date?

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do I do this?”

It’s because it’s a habit. Go on, admit it and say it aloud, you are a procrastinator.

If it’s any comfort, you’re not the only one. Just about everyone procrastinates. Sometimes that’s good, but mostly it’s an insidious, chronic malaise that will cripple your future.

So why do you continue to procrastinate, despite knowing that the end result will only produce turmoil and subpar work?

There are 4 good reasons why you may be choosing to procrastinate right now, but with a little help you can overcome this nasty habit and take decisive action toward achieving your hopes and dreams.

Here are 4 reasons why you may be wasting time and how to stop procrastinating:

1. You procrastinate because you’re bored

It’s a fact of life. We all feel less than enthusiastic from time to time. Sometimes our work becomes routine and we end up just going through the motions.

But how do you combat this?

First, recognize that you’re bored. Be conscious of your feelings, your falling energy levels, and your lack of desire to finish your projects. Ask yourself a few questions and be totally honest with your answers. Am I bored with what I’m doing? Why am I bored? What would give me a lot more energy?

Successful people maintain their excitement by constantly going after new projects and bigger opportunities. They thrive on taking new risks and the possibility that they might hit a massive home run. And the uncertainty makes it even more appealing!

Keep raising your level of expectation and never become satisfied with routine business that requires no challenge or ingenuity.

2. You procrastinate because you’re overwhelmed 

Often people procrastinate because they let things pile up, instead of handling one task at a time and taking each task to completion.

This may start with one little thing that doesn’t get done because the time wasn’t right, or you just didn’t feel like doing it. Then something else comes along, and you postpone that, too. Now you have two things to do.

Individually, neither one seems too big to accomplish, but together they create resistance. And after a while, a growing list of a half dozen items has been put off and procrastination has reared its ugly head.

If you’re not careful, this can begin controlling you, and you will become overwhelmed and won’t know where to start.

To combat this, start each day by doing the list of tasks you least want to work on or the tasks that are the most challenging. Then, you won’t have to worry about them piling up and looming over your head.

3. You procrastinate because you’re doing work you don’t really enjoy 

There are two sides to this kind of dilemma. The first is that all of us are required to do certain things we don’t enjoy. That’s one of the rules of the game if you want to become more successful. You may not like it but that’s the way it is.

Successful people do the things that unsuccessful people don’t like to do. They don’t enjoy doing some of these things either, but they go ahead and do them anyway. This is a fundamental point, one that you need to fully understand.

The other side of the coin is that you may be stuck in a mediocre job or career that doesn’t allow you to use your greatest abilities. If that’s true, then look for an opportunity to expand your talents. Life is too short to be stuck in work you don’t enjoy. Most of the time, the type of work you do should stimulate you and give you energy.

Why stay in something that drains your energy and is not fulfilling?

If you’re not switching careers due to fear, remember that the biggest rewards in life are found outside your comfort zone. Being willing to feel the fear and take action anyway are prerequisites if you want to enjoy a life of success and adventure.

4. You procrastinate because you’re lazy

I’m going to be blunt for a moment. If you avoid taking action because you’d rather put your feet up every night and watch movie reruns on TV, there’s little chance you’ll be enjoying an abundant lifestyle anytime soon.

The bottom line?

Success takes effort and consistent, focused activity. Laziness is not part of the equation.

Now it’s time for YOU to succeed and stop procrastinating

Keeping these 4 reasons in mind, I want to leave you with a few thoughts.

Write down a list of things that you may be putting off doing right now, then ask yourself WHY am I putting off doing these things? If you can’t think of a good reason why you can’t complete the task, then make a plan of action for how you’re going to complete it and by when.

To hold yourself accountable, leave a comment below with the list of tasks you’re going to complete and by when. I’ll follow up with you to make sure you’re staying on track!

Remember, nothing will change for the better until you do.

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