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Cassandra Di Lalla (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

In life there are many stressors, and workplace stress is a huge stressor for a large percentage of us. Ever since I started working, I often ask myself how to manage workplace stress. Why? Because workplace stress seems to occupy quite a bit of my time and is constantly clouding my mind or corrupting my thoughts. I’m exhausted, I’m drained and I’m burned out.

 

The stress levels one can endure vary to a certain degree, but we are all human and we all need time to release negative energy, relax comfortably, and recharge for overall wellness of the mind, body and soul. It can affect you in more ways than one, but in severe cases, it can cause changes in your weight, hair loss, nausea, migraines, fatigue, depression and anxiety.

 

Now, what if your stress levels are through the roof? What happens if you’ve brought up your concerns to management and they’ve flat out ignored your plea for accommodations to lessen the workload or a modification of your tasks during this difficult time? Or what if management is completely oblivious to what’s actually going on in the workplace and brushes you off, making you feel like your feelings are invalid? Your next steps should be to take time off as you need it. If you are not being acknowledged, it is no fault of your own if you’ve already warned your workplace that you’re beginning to burn out, or if you’ve already reached that point. It is up to management to evenly distribute the workload, and if you become overwhelmed and overworked, it is a failure on their part.

 

The mind is very powerful, but also very fragile. We can only retain so much information before our head feels as though it’s going to explode. And that’s why we become so stressed, irritated, anxious or overwhelmed, or feel unreasonably challenged to have to uphold a standard for the jobs we’re trying to complete. It’s daunting. A job should never, under any circumstances, make you question your happiness or health. That’s a huge red flag! 

 

Managing workplace stress comes in different forms for everyone, since everybody’s tolerance levels for stress can and will vary greatly. One thing each of us have or will have in common, however, is stress in general. Everyone has felt stressed out to some degree in their life when it comes to work. Some of us are much better at managing it than others, and there are individuals who shut down entirely and feel hopeless and discouraged. I will openly admit that I am the latter . . . as much as I try to avoid stress in the workplace (as I’m sure you all do as best you can), it seems it always follow me very closely . . . uncomfortably so. 

 

There are a handful of things that I like to do in order to lessen the feeling of stress, not stress itself, but the feeling. I cannot avoid stress or prevent myself from being stressed, but I can allow myself to do things that calm me down in that moment. I try to be “in the moment” or practice mindfulness in the most suitable way, based on the situation, or who or what is involved . . . or how my stress levels came to be an uninvited guest at work. Stress is never welcome but, unfortunately, it’s extremely stubborn and shows up anyway. 

 

Here are a few ways to alleviate the feeling of stress:

 

1. Make yourself a nice warm cup of tea . . . a hug in a mug.
2. Listen to calming music, such as binaural beats or Shamanic drumming.
3. Go for a walk around the block or follow the path of a walking trail.
4. Embrace Mother Nature: be in it every moment possible, take pictures of trees, a waterfall, flowers, etc . . . 
5. Choose a mantra to live by, something you truly believe in or that resonates well with you.
6. Express yourself in writing or draw something, even if you’re just doodling.
7. Pet your dog, cat, rabbit, etc . . . or if you don’t own any fur friends, drop by an animal shelter/rescue to give the animals the love they need and deserve . . . it’ll be a rewarding experience for you too. 
8. Get those eight hours of sleep, or at least make sure you’re well-rested because you will do much better if you’ve fully immersed yourself into a slumber and reached your REM cycle. Don’t deprive yourself of rest. 
9. Set boundaries and don’t push yourself past your breaking point. Challenge yourself, but don’t overdo it.
10. Accept the fact that you are disposable and replaceable at work, so if this job isn’t right for you, find something else that’ll make your professional life rewarding instead of regretful.

 

Unfortunately, a lot of people struggle in their workplace and are always finding ways to escape the doom of being tied to or associated with daily tasks that completely drain them out. Some individuals are only staying at their current jobs because they’re living paycheque to paycheque and are unable to find other work at this time; they are only “putting up with it” because they’re in no financial place to simply quit. 

 

At the end of the day, you should always be putting you and your health first but it can be very hard given the fact that your health may be affected due to workplace stress. There is no workplace in this entire world that is worth stressing to that extent or getting sick over. You are already doing the best you can and giving it your all, and that, is more than good enough. It takes a very strong-willed and courageous person to be continuing on with their employment while burning out or to continue after being burned out. 

 

I guess a lot of it has to do with the famous saying, “Mind over matter.” Sometimes, we use that as a temporary distraction to allow us to finish up with a day’s work, or sometimes, we are strong enough to go by those words on a daily basis to power through and continue on with no problem.

 

That said, don’t forget to take breaks and always make sure to put yourself first before work, because life is short. So live now before you completely burn out and have zero energy to do the things you enjoy, or the things that have been on that darn bucket list of yours! 

 

You are entitled to freedom and deserving of happiness; you are your own decision-maker, and your own world-shaker! 

 

Taking care of yourself is never selfish. The way you treat yourself is central to your health, and without your health, you’re not giving yourself the best version of you . . . and THAT is what’s selfish. 

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Cassandra Di Lalla lives life purposefully. She enjoys reading, writing and mental health initiatives. She’s an animal lover for life and an innovative individual always finding new ways to create.