How to Deal with Work Stress and Prevent Burnout Naturally
There are a lot of great things about being employed and living in a free society, but the stress that comes with work isn’t exactly one of them. Learning how to deal with work stress is essential for maintaining overall health and preventing burnout.
Dealing with stress can be draining. Whether you’re facing an important deadline at work, having trouble getting your kids to do their homework or struggling with a to-do list that seems to grow longer each minute, stress is an inevitable part of the lives of most Americans.
How Work Stress Affects Your Health
Stress is more than an emotional response. Chronic work stress can affect sleep, digestion, gut health, inflammation, blood sugar balance, immune function, and overall wellness. When stress hormones remain elevated for extended periods, they can contribute to fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, digestive issues, and burnout. Since the gut and brain communicate constantly through the gut-brain axis, managing stress is an important part of supporting overall health.
Tips for Dealing with Work Stress
Even if it can’t be avoided, there are ways to help you learn how to deal with work stress and manage it. Here’s how to make stress just a little less stressful.
Take one thing at a time. Oftentimes, we get stressed out when we have a lot on our to-do list. So we try doing multiple things at one time. Here’s the problem: Research shows that multitasking makes most people more stressed, not less! Studies also suggest that multitasking doesn’t help most people increase their productivity. Focusing on one important task at a time can help you get more quality work accomplished.
Establish boundaries. In today’s world, it’s easy to feel pressure to be available 24 hours a day. But all the connectivity can cause a great deal of stress. Establish some work-life boundaries so that you get some rest from work. You could, for example, have a no-phone policy while you’re having meals with your family or block off time each evening to not answer texts or e-mails. Don’t let your vacation time go to waste. And make sure you commit to unplugging from work and technology at regular intervals.
Keep your to-do list as small as possible. It’s been shown that people who make to-do lists tend to get more done. However, if your to-do list is too long, it can be counterproductive. Try to keep your list realistic and manageable.
Healthy Habits That Help Reduce Work Stress
Eat healthy and get enough sleep. Getting too little sleep, snacking all day on processed foods with little nutritional value, and/or relying on caffeine to get through the afternoon can make you feel more stressed. Research shows that simple things like staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and taking short walks outdoors throughout the day can be powerful de-stressors. Listening to music and keeping a gratitude journal can also help. Set realistic expectations and try to make small changes each week, such as bringing a healthy snack to the office or going to sleep a half hour earlier. Remember that it takes about a month for most people to form a new healthy habit.
Stress has a huge impact on our overall health. If you want to learn how to manage your stress, check out our workshop. Otherwise, focus on creating a strong foundation with The Healthy Habits Challenge.
For additional support, learn more about adaptogenic herbs and essential oils that may help support the body during times of stress.