{"id":5862,"date":"2023-12-14T05:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.successories.com\/blog\/?p=5862"},"modified":"2026-01-05T15:43:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T20:43:19","slug":"simple-strategies-for-reducing-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.successories.com\/blog\/simple-strategies-for-reducing-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"Simple Strategies For Reducing Stress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Stress can kill.  Most people know that, but what fewer people understand is that long before it reaches the point where it can kill you or cause serious physical harm, stress can begin to impact your life and your performance at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you feel anxious, your concentration will decrease and you\u2019ll have difficulty staying focused and on task.  That, in turn, will lead to a decrease in productivity, which inevitably makes you feel guilty and even more stressed, which creates a vicious cycle that can be hard to break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that there are a number of simple things you can do to reduce the amount of stress you\u2019re under.  If you\u2019re currently feeling some of those negative effects but aren\u2019t sure where to start in terms of getting your stress levels under control, here are some things you can do, starting right now:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take Short Health Breaks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve got people who smoke in your office, you\u2019ve probably noticed that they take smoke breaks now and then.  Pick a smoker, and any time you see him or her take a smoke break, you get up and take a mental health break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walk around the building you work in, or even better, if you\u2019ve got a wooded area near your office, walk there.  Studies have shown that spending just fifteen minutes walking in a natural setting will reduce cortisol levels by 50%, and cortisol is the hormone that causes stress.  That\u2019s huge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if you can only afford one fifteen-minute walk per day at lunch, a few minutes spent walking the perimeter of the building you work in will do wonders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy A Plant For Your Desk<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you can\u2019t get out of the office long enough to take Health Break walks, and if you don\u2019t have any wooded areas near where you work, a decent substitute for that idea (or addition to it) would be to buy a plant for your desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The benefits of having plants in your work area<\/a> aren\u2019t nearly as pronounced as getting up, stretching your legs for a few minutes and actually walking around in the great outdoors, but there are still benefits to be had.\u00a0 In addition to the calming effect, there\u2019s also the fact that a little plant for your desk will liven your work area up a bit and give it a more cheerful appearance.\u00a0 That\u2019s win-win!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Employee<\/a>
Improve morale and keep your Work-From-Home employees engaged with This Planter Set<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Background Music Or Noise<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone works in an environment that allows them to listen to music, and if you don\u2019t, you\u2019ll obviously need to take a pass on this one, but if you can wear headphones and enjoy some music, that\u2019s another good, simple way to de-stress at work<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kind of music matters here.  Even if you\u2019re into heavy metal, keep your relaxing music something a bit more soothing, or, if you\u2019re not a music lover, consider some background noise effects like a thunderstorm, surf pounding on the shore, water moving under a dock, or night sounds.  All of these can give you a sense of peace and calm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improve Your Work-Life Balance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This can be easier said than done, but you can start simply by, say, not checking your work email after seven o\u2019clock (or whatever time you establish), or turning your ringer off at bedtime.  That way, at least you\u2019ve got some clear, firm limits on when work just isn\u2019t a thing anymore.  The more of that you can do, the better!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Internet Is Your Friend<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are tons of great resources floating around the internet to help you de-stress.  On Spotify, there\u2019s a playlist called \u201cDaily Wellness\u201d that\u2019s well worth checking out.  If you\u2019re more of an app-oriented person, you could try the app called \u201cHeadspace.\u201d  Or if YouTube is more your speed, do a search on ten minute meditations, and prepare to be impressed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identify The Source(s) Of Your Stress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, you feel stressed out and the reason why isn\u2019t immediately obvious to you.  Ask yourself what specific thing or things are causing you to be stressed out.  If your answer is some variant of \u201cjust\u2026everything\u201d then think about it some more.  Eventually, you\u2019ll ferret out some specific reasons, and having identified those reasons, you can take steps to guard against them or restructure them in such a way that they\u2019re at least somewhat less stressful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take email, for example.  If you\u2019re constantly checking your email and it\u2019s stressing you out, stop doing that.  Check first thing in the morning, and check again at lunchtime.  Do all your business related emailing and responding in those two batches and just don\u2019t touch it the rest of the day.  That may not be feasible for everyone, but it will be for the vast majority of people, and if that\u2019s one of the sources of stress for you, the benefits will be staggering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Multitask<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most people believe they are good at multitasking and that it makes them more productive.  Studies have shown, however, that only 2% of people are actually good at multitasking and more productive when they do it.  Statistically speaking, you\u2019re probably not one of those 2%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One task at a time.  Stay focused.  Knock one thing out and then move onto the next.  Make a daily to do list and check things off to mark your progress.  It helps.  Tremendously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of other things you can do, but if you start here, with the ideas presented in this article, you can radically reduce stress in your daily life, and that\u2019s going to make you a happier human being.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stress can kill.  Most people know that, but what fewer people understand is that long before it reaches the point where it can kill you or cause serious physical harm, stress can begin to impact your life and your performance at work. When you feel anxious, your concentration will decrease and you\u2019ll have difficulty staying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,1036],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-office-life","category-tips-and-tricks"],"yoast_head":"\nSimple Strategies For Reducing Stress | Successories Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read the expert article Simple Strategies For Reducing Stress and learn more about employee management and engagement from the Successories Blog\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.successories.com\/blog\/simple-strategies-for-reducing-stress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" 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