By Arthur A. Burley 
Stress at work can cause us all to feel overwhelmed. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by emails, Slack messages and phones ringing, or your coworker dropping in for an impromptu conversation.
Tension is normal, especially when you have a deadline approaching or a difficult assignment. If work stress is chronic, it can lead to a loss of physical and emotional well being.
Work strain is inevitable, even if your job is something you love. However, there are steps you could take to reduce stress.
Pay attention to how it affects your lifeAlthough it may sound simple, stress can have a profound impact on your life. If you feel emotionally exhausted or pessimistic at the end of each day, take note.
Unmanaged stress can cause long-term damage to your body and mental well-being. Recent Source reports suggest a possible link between work-related Burnout and anxiety and depression.
Stress signs
Here are some subtle signs that stress can cause:
- Low energy or fatigue
- Headaches
- insomnia
- Changes in appetite
- digestive issues
- Rapid heart rate
- It is important to sweat
- Low self-esteem
- Loss of sex drive
- frequent illnesses
Write down all your stressors
You can identify and record stressful situations to help you understand why you are having trouble. These can include a stressful workspace or a long commute .
Keep an journal for one week to record your stress triggers, and your responses to them. Include the people, places and events that triggered a physical, emotional, or mental response.
Ask yourself these questions as you write:
- What did I feel? (Afraid, angry, hurt?)
- What was my reaction to this? What was my reaction?
- Is there a way to resolve it? (How can you find solutions for this stressor?
Recharge your batteries
Even a few minutes can be enough to prevent burnout during a hectic day.
You can find relaxing moments in your day by listening to a podcast between meetings or watching a humorous Youtube video.
You should also take breaks from worrying about your job. This includes not checking your work-related email on your off time and disconnecting from your phone at night.
Hone your time management skills
Sometimes feeling overwhelmed by work is down to how organized and efficient you are. You can create a priority list by prioritizing tasks and ranking them in order of importance at the start of each work week.
You can also defeat procrastination if you set aside time blocks for intense concentration work.
You must balance your personal and professional life
You will quickly burn out if you are always available. To avoid stress, it is important to set clear boundaries between work and home.
This includes setting aside time to socialize and establishing rules about when you will check email or make phone calls.
Negative thoughts can be re-evaluated
If you have been suffering from worry or chronic stress for a long time, your mind might jump to conclusions and see every situation through a negative lens.
You might think, “They’re mad at you” if your boss doesn’t greet you in the morning.
Instead of automatically judging, you can try to disengage yourself from negative thoughts. Then simply observe.