Stress Awareness Month: Reducing stress in the workplace

You may have seen the first instalment of our Stress Awareness Month series, 30 days to better wellbeing, last week. Returning from the bank holiday weekend, it’s likely that you were welcomed back into the office by countless emails accompanying an ever-growing to-do list. It would not be uncommon for this to provoke a certain amount of stress. However, there comes a point when work-related stress can become unmanageable, and impact your day-to-day life.?

The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines work-related stress as: ‘The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work.’ This could be caused by anything from intense workloads or management styles, to newfound anxieties that have come to the surface following the COVID-19 pandemic.?

In the latest instalment of our Stress Awareness Month series, we have shared some tips for reducing stress in the workplace, with a range of environmental and habitual changes.?

1. Add some plants to your workspace

Did you know that plants are thought to reduce stress levels? Yes, that’s right, according to the Royal Horticultural Society, there have been several suggested psychological benefits of indoor plants. Alongside lower stress levels, indoor plants have been suggested to improve mood and increase worker productivity - and hey, they might even brighten up your workspace!

2. Form some end-of-day habits

Setting certain tasks in place before you leave work each day could help you to stay on top of some of the more mundane causes of your work-place stress. This could include writing a to-do list for the next day; washing up any used crockery; tidying your personal space; and sending any outstanding emails from your drafts. Doing each of these things before finishing for the day will mean that you can start your day at a clean and organised desk, with a plan for the day which also reflects this.

Speaking of habits…

3. Try to establish some pre-work rituals

Part of the stress that you may be feeling at work, could stem from the routine you have in place at home. Think about it, if you’re rushing around before setting off in the morning, then it’s hardly surprising that you arrive at work already feeling frazzled.?

Why not set your alarm 15-20 minutes earlier, so that you have time for a relaxed breakfast and hot drink before leaving the house? Or so that you have time for a short walk before your morning commute? Even if you just have time to slow down a bit in the morning you’ll be glad of the extra minutes.

4. Take time away from your desk or the office at lunch time

First of all, we need to stress that it’s important to use your lunch break.?

Secondly, have you considered using the time to get out of the office and explore the nearby area - we have recently started exploring the charity shops near our office! If midday retail therapy isn’t for you, then why not see if there are any local parks for a lunchtime stroll instead. We find that leaving the office stops us mindlessly scrolling through our lunch break, giving us a break from the screen.

5. Try to set some boundaries for a better work-life balance

In the current work from home era, it’s becoming increasingly hard to separate working hours from your home life. When your living room is your daytime office, it’s understandable if you struggle to switch-off out of hours. Similarly, if you have your work emails coming straight through to your phone, then it is hard to completely check out if someone gets in touch out of hours. If this is something that you really struggle with, then you could turn notifications off for the mail app outside of office hours.?

Do any of these tips seem like they would work for you? We’d love to hear any more advice that the network has to offer for reducing stress in the workplace!

If you would like further support with your wellbeing and workplace stress, please don’t hesitate to contact Eleanor Taylor:

[email protected]