Every one of us, once we graduate, has to work a job. In order to eat, sleep, and live comfortably, work of some kind has to be accomplished–and work, more often than not, translates into stress. What is it about work that so often stresses us? There are certain things that humans tend to find stressful: lack of control, pressure, and fear. And each one of these tends to be present in a job. Fear of getting fired or doing poorly. Lack of control over your project or your time. Pressure to complete your tasks within deadlines. Each of these things (and more!) can make work synonymous with stress.
Stress can have serious effects on your health, none of them positive. We’d all like to cut back on our work-related stress, but most of us go through life assuming it’s “impossible.” We grab some lavender-scented lotion and hope that we can de-stress through our noses, and that’s about as far as our efforts extend. We can, however, do better when it comes to cutting stress. Check out these two suggestions to promote a stress-free work life.
Go on Vacation
Did you know that going on vacation is good for you? Yes, it is! Besides improving your productivity at work, going on vacation has also been shown to reduce stress, improve sleep, and lower your risk of heart-issues. If you struggle with regular work-stress and don’t frequently go on vacation, you might find that totally unplugging from work was the magic spell you needed. You can book a weekend stay at a Victorian B&B, or check out Vacation rentals in Cali Colombia. You probably need time to just forget about work and let all those deadlines and fears subside. Whatever escape you choose, you’ll thank yourself later.
Love Your Job
It’s not always easy to land a job you enjoy. You recall hearing as a kid that you can’t love your job (you know, because people who love their jobs are starving artists only). You don’t have to paint oil paintings and starve in a Parisian garret to do work you enjoy, however. If, after college, you realize you might benefit from a career change, you could change your major with a self-paced course online. You may have realized you love to teach, or HR work ended up being too much recruiting for your taste. If you want to switch to a job you love, consider an ASE Automotive Degree, or a degree in education. Whether you want a job with more numbers and less people, or more people and less numbers, if your career path itself is causing you stress, find a new route. You belong in a job where you shine, so rediscovering what you really want in a profession could make all the difference in reducing workplace stress.
While some mornings we may wish we had nowhere to go, most days we’re grateful for work. Hard work is immensely satisfying, and–as long as you find ways to take breaks and enjoy what you do–you could start reducing workplace stress today.