Managing Stress at Work

By Anna Zuidema, MA, LMHC, NCC of Good Life Therapy, LLC

A stressful work environment can contribute to problems such as headache, sleep disturbances, short temper, and difficulty concentrating. Chronic stress can result in anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system. It can also contribute to health conditions such as depression, obesity, and heart disease.

Stress is inevitable. The goal is not to get rid of stress, but rather learn more tools and strategies to better manage stress. 

Responding to Stress

Track Your Stressors

Want to know if your lifestyle is low, moderate, or high stress?

Take a free stress test here:

Individual Stress Test

Technology today is helpful in tracking changes in our physiological responses to stress. If you have an Apple Watch, Fitbit, etc., these devices can alert you when changes in heart rate, track sleep, and other physiological changes that may be indicators of heightened stress. 

Monitor How You Are Feeling

This helps to identify patterns in mood, triggers, or other stressors throughout your day. A great free app for this is called "How We Feel". They offer exercises on deep breathing, positive affirmations, videos on movements to help with emotional regulation, and mindfulness exercises. and more.

This is free and available here:

How We Feel

Develop Healthy Responses

Physical Exercise

Take a walk or work up a sweat - movement helps. Physical activity causes the body to release feel-good chemicals while also helping you expend pent-up negative energy.

Look at the big picture - Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it really worth getting upset over? If the answer is no, focus your time and energy elsewhere.

This is a technique I find helpful when showing. We all go in the pen wanting to win. We want to do well. But putting this into perspective can help us enjoy the experience, be present and attuned to our horse, focus on what we have practiced, and enjoy the ride. It’s about the experience not the outcome.

Breathe

Take a breath, practice mindfulness, engage in diaphragmatic or deep breathing exercises to help with calm and relaxation.

Here are two great tutorials you can try on YouTube:

Breathing Technique to Relax: Belly Breathing Exercise with Dora Kamau

Belly Breathing Exercise: Calming the Body and Mind

Listen to Music

Music can be used in many situations to help reduce stress and create a calming atmosphere.

Resist the urge to turn to alcohol, nicotine, or drugs. These can be the easiest and most automatic responses to stress. If you find yourself wanting to engage in these behaviors, take a moment to reflect as to why. Set a timer for 15 minutes. After time has passed check in to see if the urge feels the same. Remember, feelings are temporary and urges will pass with time. 

Practice Gratitude

When stress is getting you down, take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life, including your own positive qualities and gifts. This simple strategy can help you keep things in perspective.

Reach out to social supports or talk to a professional. There is nothing more calming than spending quality time with another human being who makes you feel safe and understood. In fact, face-to-face interaction triggers a cascade of hormones that counteracts the body’s defensive “fight-or-flight” response. It’s nature’s natural stress relieve.

Establish Boundaries Between Work and Personal Time

Learn to Say No

Simple, but effective. Where a ‘no’ is the appropriate response, say it without guilt. ‘No’ also doesn’t have to be a decline, it can also be a ‘negotiation opportunity’, e.g. “I can’t do that now, but I can fit it in next week”.

Set an End Time

Decide a time that you will be done with work for the day and do your best to commit to holding your boundary. Remember, some things can wait until morning. It’s okay to prioritize your time at home or with your family. 

Disconnect from Technology

Decide a time that works for you to not answer unnecessary phone calls, texts, or emails. Disengage from social media. 

Take Time to Recharge

Take Breaks

Taking breaks away from a stressful task can help you stay calm. Working in 90-minute cycles with breaks in-between can help optimize productivity and can help you shorten the time it takes to complete a task. 

If you notice you are getting frustrated, irritable, or upset that something is not working out how you would like, take a break. Step away. For your horse’s sake and your own, sometimes you just need a few minutes to regroup, take a breath, and then come back centered, focus, and calm. 

Use Music

Music can also be a reminder to take breaks. Make a playlist that lasts for approximately 1 hour, once the music stops, take a moment away from what you're doing.

Engage in interests and hobbies that align with your values - Take a break for self-care, spend time doing other activities that you enjoy or that are calming that will help to refuel your mental well-being "bucket". When the tank runs low, it's important to refuel so you have more capacity to face other challenges without getting burnt out.