How can employees fight workplace stress on a personal level?

With stress levels directly impacting productivity, companies these days try their best to make their employees feel comfortable and stress free at work. In the absence of stress employees enjoy good mental and physical health, which translates into high productivity.

However, this is easier said than done. What with the highly competitive markets and the rising expectations of the employers, organisations knowingly and unknowingly end up making their employees work for longer hours.

Stress can lead to many health-related problems and is a major cause for heart diseases, high blood pressure and headaches, which ultimately hampers the productivity of the employees.

Companies cannot be expected to come up with novel ways of busting stress every day. Therefore, here are ways in which employees themselves can make sure that they remain stress free at work.

Keep your body moving: It is very important to exercise and keep the body moving. It may be a challenge for professionals to take out time from their daily schedule to hit the gym or go for a run before or after work. Therefore, the solution lies in taking time out during work.

Walk: Take small breaks in between work— in the afternoons or in the evenings— to take a stroll around the office. Take along your colleague for company. This will allow you a little break from work and also help you indulge in a little exercise.

Call for walking meetings: Usually, people spend a lot of time sitting at their desks and working. To ensure that everyone gets to stretch and leave the desk for a while, conduct walking meetings. Things can be discussed and calls can be attending while walking. This will ensure that the body gets to move and work also gets done at the same time.

Stretch: Sitting in one position and working for long hours can make an individual’s body stiff. It is advisable to loosen up a bit by doing some stretching of your fingers, hands, neck and legs. Set a reminder on your phone to encourage you to stretch every hour or half an hour.

Clarify doubts with superiors: Sometimes employees may be confused about the task or the work at hand. Very often people do not share these doubts with their supervisors and managers and build up stress within themselves. The moment you feel the need to clarify some doubts, contact your superior immediately and get it off your head, heart and mind.

Maintain a positive and cheerful attitude: It may be very difficult for some people to have a positive attitude at all times but one should always strive towards it. Using good and positive words at the workplace will not just keep your own self but others also happy, which will in turn, keep stress at bay.

Eat healthy snacks: People tend to take snack breaks in between work. Make sure you carry some healthy snacks such as fruits, dry fruits and juice with you for this purpose. Healthy foods always keep a person fresh and fit, and a healthy person tends to remain stress free.

Build healthy relationships: Maintain good relations with colleagues, discuss issues and share your feelings with them. This helps to lighten your heart. It allows you to express yourselves and keep your mind free. It helps to divert the mind from stressful thoughts. Instead of checking the Whatsapp messages on your phone, take the trouble to engage with other employees.

Take a short nap: Some days the workload is immense and the brain needs some rest from work. If the organisation has provided sleeping bags or a separate sleeping room for employees, well and good, but if not, put your head down on your table and take a small 15–20 minutes’ nap and then resume work. It will allow your brain some rest.