Can you recall those distant memories back when you were a child and you would casually move through life without a responsibility or care in the world?
Looking back, some people would call this “The good times.”
In life, we must work in order to contribute back to the world and have income so that we can support ourselves and a family.
Work becomes very consuming in ones life and if you are not cautious, you can quickly find yourself living in constant stress not really knowing why.
Finding ways to alleviate mental, spiritual, emotional and physical stress is key to achieving balance and finding inner peace.
Here Are 5 Tips On How To Overcome Work-stress And Bring Back More Peace Into Your Life:
1. Learn To Detach Yourself Mentally From Work
This is a learned skill.
For starters, you are going to need to create a process or routine that will help shift your mind into a more calm and peaceful state.
Look for areas of passion, within your own personal life.
Search for key hobbies that you enjoy doing and at the same time require some mental strength and focus.
Getting outdoors is a great way to shift the mind quickly and take your mind off of work for a little while.
Look to family, turn to your spouse, seek out friends—all people that can provide a loving perspective.
2. Take Small Breaks Throughout Your Workday
Breaks have been shown to be an effective way to reset the mind and prime it to go back for another round.
According to the American Psychological Association, focusing your attention for too long, can really wear you down.
Throughout the workday, I have tried multiple approaches. I have done the robot approach, where you just clock in and execute on your daily tasks with no breaks in between. I have worked through days where I never even took a break at all.
I have also taken the approach of working in short bursts. I’ll lock in for an hour and then take a short 15 minute break and go back to what I was working on. I would repeat this cycle for as long as I needed to until I completed my work.
Obviously, the robot approach is not for everyone. There are those select few out there who can pull it off over long periods of time (I’ve had the pleasure of working with some).
But the truth is, that most people would benefit more by taking short breaks in between.
3. Prioritize Goals And Other Activities That Require Effort
There is a great book out there called, Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy.
The book’s premise is built around time management and principles that combat procrastination.
When it comes to work, you want to be able to manage your time effectively. This is an extremely valuable skill.
When it comes to getting things done, prioritizing your work on a list is a great idea.
As Brian Tracy puts it, “Eat that Frog First.”
In other words, you are going to want to tackle your most difficult tasks first.
In the beginning of the day is when your energy levels are high, making this is a great time to tackle your hardest tasks.
You don’t want to leave big tasks for the end of your day.
You want to attack those things head on first thing in the morning.
4. Cultivate An Environment That Is Going To Promote Recovery
When it comes to avoiding work-stress, having a place that you can go to and have time to reclaim your sanity is important.
Within your world, you are going to want to cultivate an environment for yourself that is going to promote recovery.
This can be your home, some alone-time outdoors with mother-nature, giving back at your local church or community or even the gym.
Where you spend your time and how you spend your time has everything to do with your mental health.
If you are just working and hustling and not taking time to recover, eventually down the line it will catch up to you.
You don’t want to be someone who just trains and trains but does not incorporate healthy nutrition and recovery into the mix. This approach will land you with an injury or setback down the line.
You want to become the wise person who expels everything from their gas tank each day, but then shifts into recovery mode in order to replenish what has been disbursed.
5. Be Meticulous With Your Daily Nutrition Intake
Recovery and proper daily nutrition go hand in hand.
If you lack a specific awareness, you will find yourself eating, over the course of years, never really giving thought about what you are fueling your body with. Not to mention, what negative side-effects these foods can create in excess.
A big piece of life is maturity and with maturity comes wisdom.
It is great to indulge in all sorts of delicious foods, but when taken too far or with a lack of awareness, those same foods can hold you back and add to your work-stress.
Most people are not meticulous with their daily nutrition and this causes them to suffer from excess stress, poor recovery and poor energy levels.
Changing your nutrition is not something you should rush into. The goal is to learn and create lasting change.
Most want a complete turn around over night. While you can take this approach, the truth is, you’ll have a higher likelihood of reverting back to old hindering habits.
Begin by journaling what you eat over a 7 day period.
Then audit that journal and look for foods that can be replaced with newer healthier alternatives.
Proceed to preparing food that you can take with you to lunch, the night before. This will help you fuel up properly, give you sustained energy and deter you from unhealthy choices that can be lingering at your workplace.
