There are some days that can leave you feeling full of adrenaline, panic or just completely exhausted – and the general culprit of these symptoms is brought on by stress [1]. Amazingly, stress was the primary reason for 40 percent of work-related illnesses in 2011/12, which will prove to you that you are not alone in your suffering [2].

It is perhaps not too surprising that stress is so highly attributable for illnesses in the United Kingdom, as many professions can be challenging, and it is hard to combine the stresses of these to the already existing strains of family life. The occupations that have previously reported the highest cases of work-related stress include health professionals, teachers, and those in the care sector. The main causes for stress were the pressures of work, the lack of support, or even bullying in the workplace [2].

So if any of this rings true with you, you will probably be searching for some ways to manage your stress levels going forward. Here are a few suggestions that might be helpful for you:

Learn the ‘four A’s’

When it comes to stress, there are four A’s that can get you to consider your stressful situation to make it easier on yourself. These are: avoid, alter, adapt, and accept.

The first point is to avoid unnecessary stress by identifying things you must do, and those that you should or could do; a to-do list with too many points can leave you struggling for a moment’s peace.

When stressful situations can’t be avoided, they can often be altered by reaching a compromise or just completely dismissed. If a boss wants you to have a report ready for Monday morning and you have a busy weekend ahead, tell them straight, or let them know how much you will be able to have completed by that time.

Perhaps you could adapt to the stressor rather than changing it. A long day at work may make you wonder why you bother, but by remembering the things you do enjoy about your job, it can suddenly make it much more worthwhile.

How about simply accepting the situation? There are often silver linings to be found when you accept things that you can’t change; this could be in the form of a pay rise from hard work, or even just realising how much you have matured as a person.

Make sure to have leisure time

It is important to prevent yourself from feeling the effects of stress both at home and at work, as it can be a contributing factor to poor health. In fact, stress can even be a trigger in other work related injuries – more of which you can read about here. Therefore you should aim to introduce more leisure time into your schedule; but you don’t need to worry about what it is you will be doing.

You should try and identify the ways that help you to relieve stress as every person is different. You might simply enjoy a long soak in a bubble bath, or you might want to go mad in a mosh pit at a rock gig. However, there are some tried and tested methods to feel better, and these include getting more sleep, eating healthier food, and enjoying some gentle exercise.

Sources:

Helpguide, http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm