How to Keep Work Stress from Taking Over Your Life

Working on your time management skills, taking time to recharge, becoming aware of how events affect you, and relying on a support network may help you manage job-related stress. Asking for help is also important.

Emails, Slack messages, phones ringing off the hook, your co-worker dropping by for an impromptu meeting, deadlines — work-related stress can be a lot to handle.Some tension is expected, especially when facing a looming presentation or challenging assignment. But when work stress becomes chronic, it can affect your physical and emotional well-being.Experiencing work strain is unavoidable — even if you love what you do. You can take actionable steps to keep job stress at a manageable level.

Strategies to manage work stress

Being aware of how work stress affects you

Sometimes, it’s easy to underestimate how much stress affects you. If you start becoming aware of how you feel, you may find yourself emotionally exhausted and pessimistic by the end of some days.Long-term exposure to unmanaged stress can take a toll on your body and mental health, and recent researchTrusted Source suggests a potential link between work-related burnout and depression and anxiety.

Signs of stress

Here’s a look at some of the subtler signs of stress:

low energy or fatigue
headaches
insomnia
changes in appetite
digestive issues
rapid heart rate
sweating
low self-esteem
loss of sex drive
frequent illnesses

Writing down your stressors

Identifying and recording stressful situations can help you understand what’s bothering you. Some of these can be subtle sources of tension, such as an uncomfortable workspace, chatter in the back, or a long commute.Keeping a journal to track your stress triggers and reactions may help. You can include people, places, and events that cause you a physical, mental, or emotional response.As you write, you may ask yourself:

How did this make me feel? (Afraid, angry, hurt?)
What was my reaction? (Did I visit the vending machine afterward or go for a walk?)
What are some ways of resolving it? (How can I find solutions to this stressor?)

Taking time to recharge

Taking even a few minutes of personal time during a busy day can help prevent burnout caused by chronic work stress.Listening to an interesting podcast between meetings or watching a funny YouTube video can give you relaxing pauses throughout the day. The more relaxed you are, the more productive you can be.It’s also important to take breaks from thinking about your job by not checking work-related emails on your time off or disconnecting from your phone in the evenings.

Taking time to recharge

Honing your time management skills

Sometimes, feeling overwhelmed by work comes down to how organized you are.Try setting up a priority list at the beginning of your work week by preparing tasks and ranking them according to importance.You can also beat procrastination by setting aside specific time blocks for deep concentration work. Try to address the more tiresome or less appealing tasks for an early sense of relief that may make the rest of the day feel less stressful.

Balancing your work and personal life

Being available around the clock will quickly burn you out. Creating clear boundaries between work and home life is essential to help you avoid potential job-related stress.Part of this means setting aside time for socializing and establishing rules for when you’ll check emails or take phone calls.

Re-evaluating negative thoughts

When you’ve experienced worry and chronic stress for an extended period, your mind may tend to jump to conclusions and read into every situation with a negative lens.For example, if your boss doesn’t say “hi” to you first thing in the morning, you might react by thinking, “They’re mad at me.”Instead of making automatic judgments, try distancing yourself from negative thoughts and observing.

Relying on a solid support network

Keep in touch with trusted friends and family to help cope with stressful work situations.If you’re having a hard time with an incredibly challenging work week, try asking parent friends if they can help carpool your kids to school on certain days.Having people you can rely on during tough times can alleviate some of the built-up tension.