Stress Management Tips

It is easy to get snowed under in the workplaces of today.  Expectations of us become higher and wages fail to increase to match the workload.  This can cause a tremendous amount of stress, particularly if it is already in your nature to do so.  However if you are in a job where you feel you don’t get paid enough to stress over your workload or not being able to live up to what is expected of you, chose not to stress by following these simple tips.

Change your response – You can choose not to let the office know-it-alls get you down and pressure you with jobs that they are no doubt capable of doing themselves.  If it is less important than tasks already on your to do list, then inform them that they will have to wait or alternatively if it is that important they will have to take care of it for themselves.

Prioritise – The ability to determine what is urgent and what can wait is of most importance.  Learn to prioritise and accept that you are only human and there are only so many hours in a day.  Start each day with the most important and work up to those tasks that aren’t so essential.

Don’t be afraid to say no – If your in tray is already piling up in the direction of the ceiling and you cannot possibly take on anymore, do not be afraid to say no.  If this is looked down on in your workplace, try seeking help from others in the office that are not so busy.

Find light in every situation – Find a reason to laugh every day.  If you find yourself starting to stress take a step back and do something for 5mins that is bound to perk you up.  Do not allow yourself to reach boiling point.  This will minimise the effects of stress and hopefully help you avoid it entirely.

Plan Things to look forward too – Having something in the near future to look forward too can often relieve the effects of stress.  If you know that you have a reward coming, the never-ending workload seems easier to bear.

At the end of the day, nothing is worth the stress.  You have it in your power to avoid letting things make you stressed out. Take each day as it comes and do not force yourself to do any more then you can comfortably handle.

Common causes of depression

We have all experienced those dark periods in our lives where drinking the day away, sleeping as much as humanly possible, or doing something stupid or full of risk proves far more appealing then sitting in a dark room being trapped with our own thoughts, unable to shake or escape the pain.  There are many reasons that can lead to this dark place, but here are a few common reasons that can bring people down.

Opinions of others - Perhaps the most common cause of depression is the opinion of others.  At the end of the day, you do not need to be around people who make you feel bad about yourself.  Their opinion should be void because they obviously do not know you as well as the people who are in your life for no other reason then that they want to be.  These are the people worth listening too.  These are the people who know you, so it is their opinion that really counts.  Don't waste your time dwelling on the opinions of people who do not deserve to be of any significance in your life.

Opinions of ourselves - Often it is our own strict opinions of ourselves and where we think we should be in that particular point in our lives that get us feeling worthless and/or disappointed in ourselves.  It is important for our emotional stability to focus on all the things that we have accomplished in our lives and to remember all the amazing people in our lives that choose to be in it because they care about us and enjoy being around the person we are, even if all we can see are our own flaws.

Focusing on the negatives -  It is only human to see the negatives in our lives over the positives.  Some situations leave us in a need to be by ourselves which leads us to think too much, causing us to relive negative moments or look too deep into situations that manifest into a lot of "what ifs" and "maybes" that 9/10 times have no basis in reality.  Although it is hard to be around people when you are feeling depressed, it is more harmful to allow yourself the alone time to dwell on things that be, or more often then not, things that we convince ourselves that are.

Unhealthy workplace - Some may think that this is a silly reason to get down, but if you are unhappy in the workplace where you spend most of your time, it is no surprise that it is bringing you down in other areas of your life.  It is easier said then done to leave your work at work.  Yes it is vital to a living that we work, but it is also important for your happiness to fight like hell to work in a place that you can be yourself and feel appreciated.  In order to be happy in other areas of your life, you must also be able to enjoy the environment in which you spend most of your time.

Struggling with everyday necessities - It can often feel like all that hard work you do is for nothing.  Once pay day comes and bills chip at your hard earned cash, you often have nothing left to show for all the effort you have put in during the week.  Everyday necessities are expensive and you should not be hard on yourself if you find  yourself struggling to keep your head above water.  As living expenses rise and wages comfortably stay at minimum, it is no wonder that struggles are apart of your daily life.  You can only work so hard, do not place unrealistic expectations on yourself because of the realities of the times we are in.

We would all do well to remember that at some point in our lives, everyone has felt that they are not good enough or trying hard enough.  Do not be ashamed of these thoughts.  If you feel you need help, do not be afraid to ask for it.  There is nothing worse then bottling up depressing feelings.  Help is always there if you are strong enough to admit you need it and are not afraid to seek it.  Your family and friends will be supportive and try their best to help you in your time of need.  Sometimes this does not always do the trick, but remember that your doctor is always there to help you without judgement.  There is nothing shameful about admitting that you need some help.

For more useful information on depression please visit beyond blue.