The world is progressing at a pace faster than we can imagine, with everyone around us expected to do more with less, especially in the workplace. The 2021 Cigna 360 Wellbeing Survey stated that the UAE is among the most stressed nations in the world at 88%. With working from home being the norm in the pandemic, employee workload and the expectation to work longer hours has left a large portion of the workforce stressed and in need of mental health support.
Now that the UAE has embraced a ‘new normal’ and adapted hybrid and work from home patterns for the foreseeable future, we thought it would be great to take a look at a few simple ways you can reduce stress in the workplace (or when working from home).
Organize your priorities: Feeling overwhelmed is the first step to stress, especially during busier periods of the year when it feels like you need to finish everything in that moment. Take a moment to break down your everyday goals into small steps. Add each milestone to a calendar in order to stick to your priorities.
Be mindful of triggers: For most of us, life is full of demands but very little time to fulfill those demands, and for the most part, these are demands we’ve chosen to include in our daily tasks. The result? Stress (and lots of it). Avoid falling prey to your triggers by practicing time management and establishing boundaries.
Chunking over multi-tasking: When you’ve got a lot to accomplish in a day, grouping tasks into “chunks” will allow to focus on getting the work done with minimal interruptions compared to multi-tasking. Pare down your schedule and keep distractions to a minimum in order to manage your workload more efficiently.
Move. Play. Exercise: It may seem contradictory, but increasing physical stress can decrease mental stress. Exercise such as cardio, HIIT and aerobics help release endorphins that help improve your mood and boost positivity.
Reach out for support: Often, one of the best ways to reduce stress is simply speaking to someone about it—it helps blow off steam and regain your sense of calm. It’s not about “fixing” your problems, but just having someone listen to and acknowledge them. Reach out to your coworkers for help or speak to a professional for a more tailored approach to stress management.
Improve sleep quality: When was the last time you got a full night’s sleep? Skimping on sleep interferes with productivity, creativity, energy, problem-solving skills and also impacts your mood. Put simply, the better rested you are, the more your ability to tackle your responsibilities at work minus the stress.
The key to stress management is tackling each goal one task at a time. One small step in the right direction is all it takes to make a big change.
