How to Destress and Balance yourself at work?

According to research, the percentage of people who are stressed at work is high, and it's only getting higher.  

Unmanaged job related stress is the shortest way to burnout.  

There are generally two types of jobs - short, intensive project jobs in which you act as a sprinter, and marathons. You throw everything you have got into the race because you know that at the need of this fast short run you will have plenty of time to rest and recover.  

Most jobs, however, are marathons and you must pace yourself during the race in order to reach the finish line save and sound without collapsing aka burnout. (click to read Are You A Candidate For Burnout? )  

Here are my tips for balancing yourself and preventing job related burnout. 

Take Action:  

* Know your natural rhythms. When you pay attention to your natural rhythms you can determine when you tend to perform optimally, and schedule your most difficult tasks at that time.  

* Don't schedule difficult tasks and pleasant tasks in separate big blocks. Try to set up your day so you shift back and forth between pleasant and difficult tasks: schedule something you enjoy after something tough. 

* Use your coffee breaks and lunch breaks to do things that will reverse the stress response. Take short brisk walks. Find a quiet place and do a relaxation exercise. Chat with co-workers in order to release tension and who knows - get a fresh perspective on a problem you are dealing with.  

* Take minibreaks during the day to reduce or prevent symptoms of stress and tension. They need not take more then a few minutes but you will see a reasonable increase in mental alertness and productivity. Try some stretching, visualization or deep breathing exercise.  

* Choose leisure activities that balance your unique stresses at the job: If your job requires much sitting on mental concentration - consider aerobics, jogging or a brisk walk as a complementary leisure activity. Responding to people demands at work - engage in solitary activities. Mindless repetitions at work - intellectually challenging hobbies and interests. Working alone (especially for those of you who are self-employed) - social activities during your leisure.

Now it's your turn: 

* List five ways that you can better pace yourself at work and create more balance in your life. 

Finding it difficult to do this on your own? Stress Management coaching helps…….

 

Tips To Prevent Job Burnout and to Wean Yourself from Being a Workaholic

If you find that you spend too much of your time working, your life will soon be much less satisfying than it once was, states Raymond Le Blanc. It's easy to get caught up in your work.

Sometimes you don't even realize it until it seems too late, but it's never too late to break out of the bad habit!

The Underlying Problem

Often times you get swept up with becoming a workaholic because of an underlying problem. It's true that sometimes you're just getting too much pressure at work to get things done on time, but more often than not, you'll find that you're using your work to hide from other problems.

Ask yourself these questions:

* Are you working too much because of financial strain?

* Are you trying to avoid your home life?

* Are you using work to avoid some other issue you're facing? 

If you're overworking yourself because of financial reasons, you can only do it for so long. Sooner or later your mental and physical health will begin to suffer. You need to work hard with an end date in mind. If this doesn't work for you, perhaps it's time to find a better paying job. 

If you're avoiding problems at home, you absolutely must concentrate on solving these problems. They aren't going to go away just because you've been escaping the situation. The only way things will improve is if you take action to resolve what's plaguing you. 

Balance Out Your Life

Once you've solved any underlying problems, you'll want to bring balance back to your life. In order to wean yourself from your work, there are certain tips you can utilize to change your working habits. 

Try some of these techniques:

1. Make time for yourself.

Realize that you and your health are ultimately more important than your work. Schedule time for yourself and treat that time as more important than any of your other deadlines. 

2. Unwind at the end of the day.

Decide on a firm bedtime and unwind before going to bed. Decide when you're going to sleep and, approximately 30 minutes beforehand, engage in a relaxing activity (mental relaxation or physical relaxation, both will do) that has nothing to do with your work. 

3. Exercise.

Incorporate a moderate exercise routine into your schedule a few times each week. Exercise will help you relax and release some of your stress from work. It's great for both your physical and mental health and is one more good way to wean yourself from overworking  and job burnout.

4. Take days off.

You need days off from your work from time to time. It's just a fact. If you have a traditional job where you have weekends free, you must spend them away from work. On your days off, avoid even thinking or talking about work. Let your mind be free!

Start Slow

Remember that these changes don't have to happen all at once, but you can start incorporating them into your life one at a time. Your life simply can't be all about work.

Remember to spend time doing activities that you enjoy besides work. 

Take some time today to implement just one or two of these strategies and you'll soon realize that there is life outside of work!

Get your copy of Raymond Le Blanc's books on Amazon.com

Interested in more books? Visit my personal stress management library.

Are You A Candidate For Burnout?

Do you lately feel pessimism, increased dissatisfaction, absenteeism and inefficiency at work?

Depression, inability to sleep, increasing anxiety, irritability, difficulties to concentrate and frequent sicknesses?

Those are signs of burnout.

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.

It occurs when you feel overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest or motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place.

Click to read the article

Related Article:

How to Deal With Burnout Naturally?

Related Book:

" Burnout is, at its heart, a loss of self and connection to life. Your ability to be present, your creativity, compassion, and humanity simply go missing. It’s like some one has stretched a sheet of plastic wrap over the world, sealing away the juice. Life seems parched, dry, and without possibility. Sound like depression? While there are a dozen stages to burnout—beginning with zealous overwork and culminating with emotional and physical collapse--the latter stages do mimic depression. But antidepressants won’t help. You need to change your course drastically and revive the aliveness, curiosity, joy, and pleasure that make life at its best an exciting adventure," except from Joan Borysenko's new book  Fried: Why You Burn Out and How to Revive