Strategies to reduce Stress and prevent a Burnout

I have always been an active advocate of wellness and a healthy lifestyle to maintain our overall wellbeing. The line between work life and personal life continues to blur in a tech-embedded world and many employees report being stressed out. Small doses of stress can elevate our growth, on the other hand, chronic stress can affect our work progress. It is critical to keep an eye for signs of stress and work on solutions to keep stress levels in check.

An interesting article on ‘Ways to prevent teams from burning out’ by Jen Fisher, Deloitte’s Chief Well-being Officer, sheds lights on why managing stress is a central concern of both employees and employers. According to the survey conducted by Deloitte, 77% of workers have experienced burnout as most organizations do not take sufficient measures to limit workplace stress. Respondents also mentioned a few organizational interventions to prevent stress such as encouraging employees to go on holidays, expanding wellness programmes, and creating a high recognition culture.

It is important that you also manage stress at your personal level and here are simple strategies one can adopt to minimize stress.

Recognize stress signs

Everyone reacts to stress differently. In a stressful situation, most people are not their best self and tend to lose their cool. It is important to identify your stress triggers to perform better and think rationally. Once you have identified them, reflect how you can cope and minimize your stress reactions. Understand when to pause and take a break to regain your composure.

Prioritize self-care

A wholesome diet and sleep routine are non-negotiables for a focused mind at work. During your non-working hours, it is necessary to recharge your energy with a motivational read, refreshing sport or energizing walk.

Limit your digital consumption

With the new normal coming in play, work from home has become more normal than before. With these changes, the line between work-life balance gets diluted. It is imperative you disconnect from your device and refrain from sending emails post-work hours. This not only helps you destress but also helps your colleagues respect your boundaries.

Be flexible with the idea of flexibility

Flexible work options have known to increase job satisfaction and boosts productivity. Where remote working cannot always be an option, request for options such as flexi-timings or condensed work week. The idea is to focus on the getting the job done at top quality, rather than the time and place the job was done.

Accept the limits

Working relentlessly under intense levels of stress will lead to a decline in performance. Knowing the amount of work you can do justice to and accepting limits is a sure way to keep your performance in check. Politely refuse extra-work or delegate tasks if you are feeling overwhelmed.

Managing stress will help you lead a balanced life with time for relationships, and recreation–plus build the resilience to sustain under pressure.

I would like to know the various techniques you adopt to manage stress at work, and the ones that have helped you the most?