No stress – Six ways to help you reduce stress-levels.

We’ve all experienced it, are experiencing it, and we’ll most likely experience some more of it in the future. Stress – a major health issue that can be caused by just about anything, depending on the circumstances.

The most notable signs that you might be stressed out differ per individual, but usually, you’ll know when it’s getting too much. Getting headaches throughout the day, feeling low energy despite drinking gallons of coffee, feeling tense or worse – you get chest pains and palpitations. And then there’s the less obvious ones like a decreased ability of the body’s immune system and the loss of… a certain drive. Needless to say it’s no fun thing. But how can you deal with stress in the workplace? And how do you stop it from affecting your work? Here’s what you can do to manage your stress.

1. Pick up breathing exercises or mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a psychological (or spiritual, depends on what you call it) trick that allows us to experience all sensations more consciously. It makes us aware, or mindful, of our breathing, thinking, and our general state of being. Meditating in this way can take away stress and improve the way we work. Just like breathing exercises take away all unnecessary stimuli, so does mindfulness. Applying this concept to the way we work can help us focus and “bypass” stress altogether.

2. Manage your time.

Dealing with stress whether it’s at home or at work can take quite a toll. Sometimes it’s good to just set everything on hold for 10 minutes, and do something that helps you relax. This will help you regain your focus, lose a productivity drop, and it feels like you’re treating yourself to something good. Another way of achieving lower stress levels is to start off slowly when picking up a task. If you take the time to prepare instead of diving in head-first without deeper thought, odds are you’ll have a better grasp of the task. Not only does this provide better results, in the end you might actually save time in fixing the details.

3. Quit multi-tasking.

Some people deal with it better, but most of us struggle with switching back and forth in between tasks. Other than making us lose sight of important details, it lets us forget about certain tasks altogether, and it allows us to become distracted more easily. Multi-tasking causes stress. When you’ve got just one task at hand, odds are you can retain a high level of productivity and focus until that task is finished. When working three different tasks, you’re feeling the pressure of all three tasks at once. Combine this with a lower productivity rate, and it’s easy to see why this causes even more stress. Be smart, be a single-tasker.

4. Exercise.

It’s no secret that working out is good for you. Not just for physical reasons, but it affects your mental state as well. Getting your heart-rate up for an intensive workout will definitely make you feel better after a couple of sessions, but just a small 30 minute-workout a day will increase your health, your stamina, and your mood in the long run as well as reduce your stress-levels.

5. Change your diet.

Food is our fuel, and the same logic applies that applies to machines applies to our health and stress levels as well. A well-balanced diet is clean and makes every fiber count. This eventually leads to feeling better overall, which can lower stress levels significantly. Stuffing yourself with unhealthy foods will decrease your energy, affects your mood in a bad way and causes damage to your body.

6. Visit a doctor.

This is the obvious one, but a doctor will most likely filter out the really troubling cases and can provide immediate help if necessary. Also, doctors tend to be really good advisors, even without providing prescriptions. You might get a referral for some form of therapy or get a workout schedule as a form of stress management if you’re having trouble figuring it out.

Another way of reducing your stress-levels is getting entertainment or visit a fun event. Luckily, we’ve got a full calendar of events to help you take the edges off a stressful week. Check out the upcoming events at a Spaces near you right here.