Tackling Workplace Stress - Make Your Mental Health A Priority

Stress is our body's response to situations that are considered overwhelming or threatening. During stressful situations, our bodies respond by producing physical and mental reactions that can be positive - keeping one alert, motivated, and/or adaptable.

Once the stressful events have passed, our stress hormones quickly return to normal; leaving no lasting effects. However, when stress is experienced too frequently, it increases the risk of mental health conditions.

In this article, we share some tips and tricks for tackling workplace stress.

Are You Experiencing Any Of The Following Issues?

• Easily irritable

• Loss of concentration

• Feeling unable to cope

• Constantly worried

• Disturbed sleep/appetite

• Feeling sad

Here Are Some Of The Ways You Can Help Yourself

Plan Your Work

• Work planning includes devising strategies on how to deal with your workload, e.g. breaking your tasks into manageable chunks. This will allow you to have a clearer perspective on your tasks

Talk To Someone

• Talking to someone can help relieve your stress and at the same time, allow you to be heard and understood. Do seek professional help if you need further psychological support

Take A Break

• Taking short breaks every now and then frees your mind from constant clutter at work. You can take this time to perform some of the relaxation exercises (see below)

Balanced Diet

• Develop healthy eating habits. A balanced diet ensures sufficient nutrients you need for your optimum health. Take nutritional supplements when needed.

Reward Yourself

• Remember to reward yourself at the end of a hard day's work, e.g. a good dinner/movie at home. Rewards help motivate us at work.

Good Sleep

• Practice good sleep hygiene. Good sleep quality allows you to stay alert and focused while at work.

Learn To See The Positive Side Of Things

• There are 2 sides to a coin. Learning to see the good side of things can help us learn better from our experiences. Stay optimistic.

Simple Relaxation Exercises

Deep Breathing Exercise

• Imagine you have a deflated balloon in your stomach

• Take a slow, deep breath through your nose while imagining the balloon is being inflated

• Hold your breath for 5 seconds before you start exhaling slowly through your mouth

• Repeat the process as many times as you like

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Below is the muscle relaxation technique:

1. Sit on a chair
2. "Scrunch" up your face
3. Tense your arms, the relax them
4. Tense up your shoulders and chest, then relax them
5. Tense up your legs, then relax
6. Breathe in relaxation, breathe out tension