They say the past is a foreign country. That certainly applies to the world of work. The old days of 9 to 5 shifts and three-martini lunches seem as decadent as the lives of the late Roman emperors. It’s hard enough to switch off in your free time these days, never mind during office hours!
The mid-twentieth century and the present are, technologically speaking, light-years apart.
Professionals have never been so stressed and sleep-deprived. They’re less happy, less productive and staring down the barrel of burnout.
So, what is behind our ever-increasing work lives? Let’s rewind to 2008. The economy was in freefall, and companies were scrambling to adjust to harsh new realities. Most companies only survived by downsizing their staff and restructuring workloads. The result was fewer people with a lot more than their fair share of responsibilities. Sound familiar?
Enter the smartphone. The first iPhone was launched in 2007. According to a study in the MIT Technology Review, the iPhone conquered 40 percent of the American mobile phone market within just a couple of years. Amazing when you consider that it took computers fourteen years to get anywhere close to that.
The problem is that smartphones don’t just make life more convenient and fun. This means you’re always on standby mode. Your work is never more than a click away.
According to a study by the American Psychological Association, 33 percent of all Americans suffered work-related stress in 2013, while 48 percent claimed that their stress levels had increased over the last 5 years.
Between 60 and 90 percent of our trips to the doctor are stress-related.
I find that most of us accept stress as a fact of life and try to put a brave face on. When we finally burn out or get seriously ill is when we start considering changes.
We are overworking, overdoing and underliving. So what can you do to beat stress?
Practice mindfulness — a quick mindfulness method involves nothing more than focusing on your breathing. Take ten deep breaths, follow with a pause, and you’ll already feel a lot better.
Meditation — this requires more practice but it’s an invaluable anti-stress tool. This is not only good for your mental well-being — it’s also good for your physical health. A Harvard Medical School study showed that regular meditation can actually shrink the size of the amygdala and counteract stress.
Plan your day to minimize stressful experiences
The best way to minimize stress is to develop a long-term anti-stress plan. You can start by working out a supportive daily work rhythm. This can involve getting up earlier to free up time to go over your day’s responsibilities. This gives you the advantage to think through your tasks without losing focus or worrying about what’s coming up later. You won’t always pull off your ideal work rhythm. You’ll have to be flexible and roll with the punches.
Exercise is a highly effective stress remedy
This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to join a gym. Simple rhythmic and repetitive movements like walking, jogging, cycling, dancing or even doing some yoga poses can significantly reduce stress.
Movement purges stress hormones from your body. It also has psychological effects. Focusing on your body for a few minutes is a great way of getting out of your head and disrupting those obsessive thoughts that go hand-in-hand with stress. Try out different types of exercises and see what works for you.
Visualization is a powerful stressbuster
It’s a good idea to develop some cognitive strategies to quiet your mind. One is to “be in the moment”. Because stress is all about worrying about the past or the future, we need to learn to appreciate the present. Push back those anxiety inducing thoughts to the back of your mind. Make a conscious effort not to zone out and instead direct your attention to what you’re doing. The best part is that you can start practicing this kind of mindfulness without making any changes to your routine.
Visualize stress-free success. Ask yourself what you want to achieve and then concentrate on what it is you need to do to pull that off. This is a great way of pushing anxieties out of your mind and really focusing on the things that are in your control — this is a guaranteed stress reliever.
Good news! Stress is not inevitable or inescapable. Try some of these stress-relieving strategies and you’ll be amazed at what a difference a couple of minutes of mindfulness or a quick walk around the park can make in your life.
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