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7 Ways to Manage Your Work Stress

Work stress can adversely affect your career, health, and life. Find ways to lessen stress and manage the stressful situations that can't be eliminated.

Stress is just a fact of life, including with most jobs. In this fast-paced world, workplaces are often asking employees to take on multiple roles and responsibilities. The recent job market has amplified these effects, with low salaries, uncertain futures, and increased workloads. Stress can damage not only your health but also your career prospects. You can't perform at your best, especially when it comes to managing others, when you’re overwhelmed with stress or even missing work because of illness.

The American Psychological Association offers seven tips for managing your stress at work:¹

1. Track your stressors: Write down what causes you stress at work and how you respond. Look for patterns of what raises your stress level and the best ways to bring it back under control.
2. Develop healthy responses: Sleep, exercise, and relaxing activities will help more in the long run than junk food, alcohol, or just bottling it up.
3. Establish boundaries: Sometimes you have to turn off your cellphone and walk away from your e-mail. You can't be available 24 hours a day.
4. Take time to recharge: Use your vacation time if you can, because your body needs a chance to replenish and return to pre-stress levels. If you can't take a vacation, find some time to relax, unwind, or focus on a non-work activity.
5. Learn how to relax: It's not enough to just not be at work. Learn how to focus on some activity and be fully engaged in that moment.
6. Talk to your supervisor: It is in the company's best interest to have you operating at full capacity, rather than being too stressed out to fully focus. Work out a plan to manage your stress level while still performing your job functions. This can include improving your time-management skills or tapping into company wellness benefits.
7. Get some support: You're not in this alone. Friends, family, and even counseling professionals can help you manage your stress before it overwhelms you.

Gain the Management Training You Need to Excel in Your Career at Walden University

One of the greatest reducers of stress in the workplace is being adequately prepared to perform your required job functions. Managing others in particular can be a tedious and stressful task, and it requires proper management training to become an effective leader. With employment of management occupations projected to grow 8% from 2016 to 2026—creating over 807,000 new jobs²—it’s important to gain the in-demand skills that are vital to advancing in the field. As new organizations develop and existing organizations expand, qualified professionals capable of managing these operations will be needed. When you earn your master’s in management, you position yourself for more employment opportunities—especially if the institution you graduate from is accredited.

Walden—an accredited university—offers an MS in Management program that gives you access to a dynamic curriculum that reflects current industry standards and principles so that you can develop the tools you need to stand out in the workforce. Whether you are advancing your career in the government, nonprofit, or private sector, Walden’s online master’s in management can prepare you to effectively manage projects, teams, and organizations across sectors and environments. And earning your degree online allows you to continue to work full time and maintain a better work-life balance. With online education, there’s no need to completely rearrange your schedule or commute to campus—you can take classes at whatever time of day works best for you as you work to earn your master’s in management and excel in your career.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering an MS in Management degree program online. Expand your career options and earn your degree using a convenient, flexible learning platform that fits your busy life.

¹Source: www.apa.org/helpcenter/work-stress.aspx
²Source: www.bls.gov/ooh/management/home.htm

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.