Work can cause us all stress, especially as our lives continue to adapt to the realities of COVID-19. There are tight deadlines, co-workers we can’t stand, and the commute to name a few of the reasons why work can be stressful. However, with more people having to work from home, work-related stress is starting to become even more common.
Where once we were able to unplug from work and go home and relax, we now find ourselves slowly allowing work to encroach on our time off. Many people are checking their work email after hours, feeling the pressure to always be contactable. Or perhaps you’ve found yourself working on the weekend to get a little ahead. Whatever the reason, work-related stress is very real.
Too much work-related stress can cause all kinds of long-term health problems. You can find yourself with more acne than you had as a teenager. Or you might find that you are dealing with high-blood pressure or some other health related issue that is linked to high-levels of stress. The good news is that many of our work-related stresses can be reversed and alleviated by making some simple changes to your lifestyle or daily routine.
Getting a good night’s sleep is at the top of the list when it comes to reducing stress. While excess stress can sometimes make it difficult to sleep, trying to get a good night’s sleep is integral to helping your body rid itself of stress.
In fact, sleep is good for a number of things. Getting enough sleep at night can help you to not only rid your body of excess stress but can help your body to heal from sicknesses and other ailments. Sleep is so important to keeping you well both mentally and physically.
But how can you sleep when you’re so stressed? The first thing you need to do is create a new routine. An adapted bedtime routine can help you to get more sleep at night. When you create a bedtime routine, such as choosing to stay away from social media or any digital devices in the hours leading up to sleep, this can help you to get the sleep you need on days when work stress is keeping you awake at night.
But getting more sleep isn’t all you can do to help alleviate work-related stress. You can also practice self-care to help you get more sleep. The little daily or weekly activities that help you unwind or focus on yourself for even a few short hours can help lower levels of stress.
In the infographic below by The Derm Review, they outline 8 different ways that you can use different self-care tactics to help you combat work stress. By implementing a new routine, you can take charge of your daily wellbeing and reduce stress levels. The long-term impact will benefit your body, mind, as well as productivity at work.
