Loving yourself in the workplace: Tips on avoiding stress

IT’S a tough world out there. As soon as you finish ripping your hair out from the grueling work of typing out your thesis and cramming for your finals, you think you’re finally free from the stress and pressure of school.

You are, in a sense, but only to make room for the incoming stress when you finally start working. 

When you work–either if you’ve just started or if you’ve been in the game for a long time–it’s hard to avoid burnout especially if you don’t set a routine for yourself or have any boundaries within the office. 

To avoid stress in the workplace, here are some tips that might be able to help you out:

1. Have hobbies outside your work

Though it may be hard to do so, it’s important to remember that your life shouldn’t revolve around your work. It’s important to have a life outside of it, whether it’s by spending time with your loved ones or with yourself. 

One thing you can do to make sure you can focus on things outside of work is to perhaps pick up a new hobby or go back to one that you’ve forgotten. 

Some hobbies you might be interested in that won’t break the bank are sewing or reworking old clothes, jewelry making, cooking, writing and graphic design. You can also try crochet or clay art. 

Or you can perhaps make it a habit to do more things that you enjoy like reading, listening to music or watching a movie. 

The important thing is that you allot some time solely for yourself and the things you like for a portion of the day to lessen your chances of going crazy.

2. Surround yourself with love

Though it may be cliché, it’s important to stay positive no matter where you are. One way you can do this is to constantly focus on things that make you happy, big or small.

It can be as simple as a moment shared among your friends that you enjoyed or a pretty flower that you saw on your way to the office. 

On particularly stressful days, an exercise you can do is to list down five things that you liked about your day: petting a cat, liking the assignment given to you at work, hearing someone’s laugh.

There is beauty in absolutely everything if you go out of your way to find it and doing so is a sure way to make your workdays feel a lot less gray. 

3. Stay comfortable and organized

When it comes to productivity, the two things to remember are comfort and organization. 

In terms of your workload, create a schedule for your day by plotting out all the work you need to do. You should also include the breaks you’ll be taking, as well as setting a few minutes in between each assignment so as not to burn yourself out.

To maximize your productivity, another thing you can do is to make your workplace as comfortable as possible. 

Place things on your table that make you happy, bring a pillow and a blanket from home if you can, and keep some snacks at your side to keep your stomach full as you work. 

While it’s important to stay organized, it’s just as important to make sure that you’re comfortable, because if you have one and not the other, you’ll either lose track of time and slack off or have a hard time working due to stress. 

Balance is key!

4. Make friends and mingle

The ever-so-popular quote “No man is an island” underlines why it’s important to form connections in the workplace. 

According to Human Intelligence, it has been proven that feeling connected to your officemates helps you to feel more motivated and engaged at work, leading you to be more productive and more satisfied with your job. 

The Journal of Occupational Health Psychology adds that it helps to improve both your mental and physical health.

When you start at an office, try your best to find similar interests with your officemates. No matter their age or whatever else, you’re sure to find some common ground in time. 

This may seem like an introvert’s worst dream but don’t worry: the right people will find you if you keep yourself open to them.

5. Know when to say no

Perhaps the biggest way to ensure that you don’t get stressed at work is to say no to things that you know aren’t part of your job description.

This should, of course, be done in a polite manner. You can explain that you still have other things on your plate that you need to prioritize, or that you don’t think it’s a part of the job requirements discussed with you when you first started.

This isn’t something you should feel bad about, nor is it something you should be made to feel bad about. Live by the saying, “Magtrabaho ayon sa sweldo.” 

You are not a martyr; you are simply someone doing their job. If you’re going to be taking up more work, you should ask to be compensated as such.

2024 is the year you focus on yourself. If you need a break or if you simply need to learn how to say no, this is the time to do it.