Work Zen: 4 Tips to Reduce Stress on the Job

Stressed out at work? You’re not alone. U.S. Department of Labor studies have shown that 80 percent of workers in America suffer from stress on the job.

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Regardless of what you do for a living, almost every job involves some combination of everyday stressors. Challenging expectations, workloads, feeling burned out or interpersonal conflict have the potential to do more than make your job less enjoyable.

How to Reduce Stress at Work

The American Psychological Association reports that most Americans cite work as a significant source of stress. If you’re looking for effective strategies to manage stress in the workplace, there are several practical methods you can try.

Take a breath

One of the best tools to reduce stress is something you do all the time without thinking about: breathing. Simple, deep breathing exercises are scientifically proven to have a positive effect on the heart, brain, gut and immune system.

Start with an easy five-minute breathing exercise. Get in a meditative position in a quiet place and focus on nothing but your breathing. Sooner or later during the exercise, your mind will wander. It’s OK. Just recognize it, shrug it off and bring your focus back to breathing — in and out — for as long as possible.

Limit interruptions and distractions

Focusing on one task at a time has clear benefits. Research shows that there is a cost for multitasking as you demand your brain to switch between objectives. The brain isn’t wired to split attention between two complex tasks. Instead, it simply darts between tasks — preventing you from giving each the attention it deserves. Balancing multiple tasks with distractions such as text messages and social media updates makes you even less effective and more vulnerable to the harmful effects of stress.

Do everything you can to focus on one task at a time and limit distractions. This could mean turning off updates from your phone and generally avoiding the temptation to do two things simultaneously.

On a construction site, a woman smiles while wearing an orange safety hat, safety glasses and a high visibility vest over a flannel shirt. She is walking next to a man wearing a white hard hat, safety glasses and a high visibility vest over a flannel shirt.

Think positively

When you’re under stress, it’s easy to get pessimistic. This is an important evolutionary feature of the human stress response — when you’re worried about being attacked by a saber-toothed tiger, survival may depend on thinking of everything that can go wrong. But since most workplaces are tiger-free these days, thinking optimistically is a better way to interrupt the brain’s natural stress patterns.

Fortunately, there are ways to train our brain to avoid negative thinking You can start by identifying the actions related to these potential thoughts. The Mayo Clinic suggests workers be mindful of actions like magnifying the negative aspects of a situation or immediately blaming yourself when something goes wrong. Limiting negative thoughts can potentially help you to feel less stressed while improving your productivity.

Similarly, as noted by Psychology Today, thinking about aspects of your job you’re grateful for can make you feel happier and more content. This approach can reduce stress and create a positive feedback loop.

Seek change when you need it

One of the sneakiest facts about stress, in the workplace or anywhere else, is that it’s a hard-wired response the body engages as a survival instinct. If you find yourself frequently and chronically stressed, that’s your body’s way of telling you that you’re enduring work — not enjoying it.

You may want to explore your options. No matter how good you get at practicing mindfulness, there’s no surer way to limit stress in the workplace than to find a job that supports your physical and mental health as much as it does for your career.