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09/04/2023

Top tips for reducing stress at work

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Top tips for reducing stress

25% of European workers* say they feel stressed at work all or most of the time. Tight deadlines, long hours and intense workloads are all negatively impacting many people’s health and wellbeing.

Over 55%** of us believe that life is more stressful than it was 10 years ago, and over 10 million working days are lost in the UK each year due to stress.

Regain control and feel happier and relaxed - with our top 10 tips for reducing stress at work.

*Source European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) and Eurofound **Source: Nurofen

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1. Recognise the signs

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Learn to read your own ‘stress signals’ – the first step to reducing stress is being able to recognise the signs that you’re experiencing it, and responding to these.

Typically people experience both physical signs and mental ones, from tense shoulders to tiredness and anxiety.

By learning to recognise when your body is suffering from stress, you’ll be able to combat it more effectively.

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2. Manage your time efficiently

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Modern professionals typically juggle at least 30 projects* and it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and under pressure.

Learning to manage your time efficiently will help reduce stress and increase confidence. Write a ‘To Do list’ and focus on getting those tasks done.

This will enable you to prioritise the projects that are most important, and serves a useful reminder of what you’ve achieved each day. By setting reasonable deadlines for yourself, you’ll feel more in control.*Source: Forbes

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3. Take a deep breath

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If you’re feeling stressed after a difficult meeting or a challenging situation, stop juggling for a few minutes.

Find a quiet place and focus on your breathing – it’s a great way to restore balance and feel calmer.

Simply inhale for five seconds, hold your breath and then and exhale for five seconds through the nose. 

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4. Exercise

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Exercising every day can reduce your stress levels up to 40%*, with high energy sports that induce breathlessness having the greatest impact.

Even a brisk walk can help though, so try and build regular exercise into your day. Activities such as yoga can have a positive impact on reducing your stress levels too.

*Source: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London

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For most of us working life is punctuated by emails, phone calls and urgent requests.

Whilst you might not be able to change this, you can influence the way you react to this. So you can accept the interruption, ignore or it or review it and decide when you’ll deal with it.

If you’re in the middle of an urgent project, set your voicemail and ‘out of office’ to say you’re unavailable, and focus on getting it completed. Remember, it’s ok to switch off.

5. Reduce interruptions.

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6. Learn to let go…

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Learning to let go is key to reducing stress; you need to accept that there are some things you just can’t change.

The reality is that there is much in our working lives beyond our control including how other people behave.

Focus on the things you can change, like your own thoughts and actions.

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7. Take 5...

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Spending all day at your desk is not the best way to be productive - you may feel you haven’t got time to take a break but it will actually help you work more efficiently across the working day.

Make taking 5 minutes out to have a cuppa in the breakroom or a catch-up with a colleague part of your daily routine.

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8. Learn to say no

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Obviously you don’t want to say no all the time, but if you’re already overloaded have the confidence to explain you can’t take on another project right now.

Taking on yet another tricky project when you’re already struggling just isn’t sensible. If you really want to say yes to an extra responsibility or project, see if you can delegate or get rid of another task to free up time.

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9. Drink more water

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Drinking water is proven to increase your energy levels, improve cognitive abilities and boost mental functions – so make sure you’re getting enough H20.

The European Food Safety Authority recommends that women should drink about 1.6 litres of fluid and men should drink about 2.0 litres of fluid per day - that's about eight 200ml glasses for a woman and ten 200ml glasses for a man. 

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10. Take a lunch break

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Over half of employees (54%) regularly work through their lunch hour, but remember taking a break can actually up your productivity levels.

Make the effort to leave the office at lunch time at least a couple of times a week; it can really make a difference to your health and wellbeing.

Eating healthily and not skipping meals is essential to your wellbeing, so look after yourself.

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Visit our resource centre at bebanner.co.uk to keep up-to-date with all the latest trends and hot topics for UK professionals.

We regularly post content on issues including procurement, the workplace, facilities management and much more. And don’t forget to follow our Banner LinkedIn company page too.

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