Taking a chill at work to reduce stress is challenging, as we all juggle the work-life merge. You have to make the time to do it, in the way that works for you. It’s highly unlikely your boss will “Om” you into a relaxed state, even though it might drive the innovation to create the next “Google.”
As I tell the executives I work with, there’s no quick fix to beat stress. Creating a stress-busting routine is more of an individual journey, than a destination. Think of your workday as a lab and try different experiments to consume the chaos.
To get a handle on stress, it helps to build up an arsenal of tools so you can harness a little “inner chill” when you need it most.
1. Take a few deep breaths
It’s not about a quick breath to calm you down, it’s about the science of the breath. Take deep breaths throughout the day, in through the nose, and out through the mouth. Breathing into the nostrils, stimulates the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. It triggers the release of stress-reducing hormones such as dopamine and serotonin.
2. Take a break from office gossip
Avoid the water cooler gossip factory. It’s important to cultivate healthy relationships at work, but diving into the trashing and bashing of fellow colleagues, managers and office politics just feeds negativity, is a time waster and induces stress.
3. Recharge with physical activity
Create healthy habits of exercise. Even just a walk outside around your building or some seated yoga postures are beneficial. Try to schedule a half hour of white space in your calendar twice a week, to take a movement break. Getting the blood and lymph flowing in the body is good for the immune system and reduces stress.
4. Modify your environment
Change your working conditions. Work from a conference room, head outside for a bit, or telecommute for a day. It gets your brain thinking differently. What can you put on your desk to generate positive thoughts? Try a family picture, small statue, knickknack, or just a post-it note with an inspirational phrase or word.
5. Focus on the positive by journaling
Try journaling once a week at a scheduled time. Reflect on some of the better moments at work or in your career. Even if you don’t like your job, write a list of the good points associated with your position. Note how new friends, clients or colleagues, are enhancing your working experience.
6. Cultivate a contemplative practice
We’re on overdrive. But you can slow things down by taking time to read some inspirational material in the middle of your work day. For some, reading prayers, meditative passages, or philosophy calms the mind and soul. Others prefer the repetition of positive affirmations or spiritual mantras.
7. Get a handle on your info-intake
Sensory overload triggers stress and creates distractions. Limit checking and responding to e-mails that don’t need immediate attention. Inform clients and colleagues of your patterns. Create your own plan of monitoring news and blog feeds, aggregating information, and scheduling the timing of your intake.
8. Create some work-life flexibility
How you determine your work-life flexibility strategy is an individual journey. Check out flexible workplace policies at your company. To make it work, it might mean having a conversation with your manager or human resources. Be ready with suggestions for your unique situation that will mutually benefit you and your employer.
9. Focus on meaningful communication
Poor communication creates frustration, can result in inefficient interactions and can lead to stress. Strive for the 3 C’s: Co-creation of a Conscious Conversation. The trick is to be more mindful of how and when you communicate with colleagues or clients, and being aware of the goal for the communication.
10. Do a time management check
Sometimes we unintentionally clutter the playing field of the mind with confusion, rather than taking the time to prioritize and get organized. How we manage our time is a huge part of the puzzle to reduce stress. Keep a log of how you’re spending your time daily and monitor it weekly. Assess, then adjust, on a regular basis. Identify the unproductive demands on your time.
11.Take in visual soul food
Check out screen savers and apps that offer visual meditative exercises. What we watch impacts our brain and can either hype us up — or calm us down. Surf the web or YouTube for comforting videos. Nature or animal videos are easily found on the web, and are generally relaxing to watch.
12. Listen to relaxing music
Classical music might not be for everyone but studies show that it has a relaxing effect on brain waves. Generally, in a busy work atmosphere, the brain is in a beta state which tends to be frenetic. Relaxing music induces an alpha state which reduces stress.
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