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How to Reduce Stress at Work and Improve Productivity


— January 20, 2021

Reducing stress at work requires your effort and knowledge of the methods you can use to stay healthy, from making your work environment more enjoyable to committing yourself to everyday routines.


Learning how to reduce stress at work is crucial when you want to improve your overall productivity. Stress is a silent killer in the workplace and costs many businesses and organizations $300 billion every year in healthcare bills. Several studies have shown that too much stress is a recipe for headaches, stomach upset, insomnia, and chest pains. Besides, it is also one of the leading causes of anxiety and depression.

With 65% of adults recognizing work as the cause of stress, it is important to learn how to manage stress and stay at healthy levels that will ensure you are productive. Here are tried and tested methods you can use to reduce stress.

Make Your Work Environment More Enjoyable

Making your workplace support a sustained environment throughout the day needs a little creativity.

Indoor plants

Improve the air quality by adding indoor plants in your office and make the place more calm and relaxed. 

Stay hydrated and fresh.

Have a water bottle with you to rehydrate and keep your brain alert. Adding a scent to your well-lit workspace will not only lift your mood but also awaken your senses.

Organize Yourself and the Workspace

If you do not have proper organization skills, you may always find your work overwhelming. This is a major cause of stress to most workers who just need to know that proper organization and prioritizing tasks can help.

Set Clear Objectives

Set clear goals on what you want to achieve and prioritize them based on each task’s importance.

Have Deadlines

Focus on 2 to 3 goals and set realistic deadlines for each to help you avoid procrastination. An excellent way to set deadlines is by using your calendar to plan and maximize the time you have. You can also create a To-Do list to help you keep track of every task at hand.

Make Friends

Forming positive relationships through friends is an excellent way to engage with colleagues at work.

Participate actively in the small workgroups, share personal stories and experiences. This will help you create a long-lasting bond and friendships with your colleagues.

Exercise

Work without exercise makes Jack a dull boy. Physical exercise naturally reduces stress by boosting your mood and keeping you fit. Studies have shown that physical exercise helps people with depression improve their mood. Regular exercise also helps in clearing the mind of stressful thoughts.

Take Well Balanced Diets

Take healthy foods containing carbohydrates, which fuel the brain and increase concentration and focus. With enough concentration and a powerful mind, you will be able to sustain the pressure and stress at work.

Feed your body superfoods such as kale, blueberries, and dark chocolate. These types of foods are known to boost your mood and keep you energized for different work tasks.

Avoid foods containing high levels of fat since they lead to sluggishness and lethargy. 

Although most people use drinks that contain caffeine, such as coffee and energy drinks, it is important to regulate them since they prevent you from having quality sleep time. Avoid other drinks like alcohol and spirits because they are natural depressants.

Get Quality Sleep

Woman sleeping on brown bed linens; image by Gregory Pappas, via Unsplash.com.
Woman sleeping on brown bed linens; image by Gregory Pappas, via Unsplash.com.

Getting enough and quality sleep naturally reenergizes your body. Having little sleep may lead to stress, according to a report by Harvard Medical School.

The report says that little or poor-quality sleep denies you the ability to manage even normal stress levels, thereby affecting your mood.

Get at least eight hours of sleep

The most productive people agree that enough sleep makes you operate at your peak since it gives you “new energy” every day.

Stick to your routine

A routine is your body’s internal clock. Go to bed at the same time at night, and you will fall into a habit of falling asleep very quickly and wake up on time.

Switch off the screens at least one hour before you go to bed

Televisions, laptops, and the most common one, smartphones, keep your brain engaged and make it hard for you to fall asleep in your routine. Always try to finish the day with a different activity before you go to bed.

Take Short Naps More Often

Take short naps for a maximum of 20 minutes just to regenerate your energy. 

Try Medical Cannabis-infused Products

Cannabis is a substance that is tried and tested to deal with the leading causes of stress, such as anxiety, insomnia, and low appetite, which leads to poor eating habits. 

Medical cannabis-infused products are available as edibles, tinctures, vape pens, candies, cookies, and more. They are always appropriately dosed to meet your needs without causing any health effects. 

These products will help you manage stress levels by dealing with the above medical conditions and depression, nausea, pain, and mental disorders. A good site you can use to find marijuana dispensaries near you is Pothub.

Pothub is a community that connects cannabis consumers, patients, retailers, doctors, and brands. The site gives you access to different brands and marijuana dispensaries near you, where you can find medical cannabis-infused products.

Conclusion

Reducing stress at work requires your effort and knowledge of the methods you can use to stay healthy. From making your work environment more enjoyable to committing yourself to everyday routine, and exercising regularly, you can also try medicated cannabis-infused products to help you out.

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