Since 1992, April has been designated as National Stress Awareness Month – a time to recognize the negative impacts that stress can have on the body over time. This year’s specific theme is “anxiety,” so Labor Solutions would like to address the issue of workplace anxiety.
Managing Stress and Anxiety at Work
We at Labor Solutions are not mental health professionals, just ordinary people who care about other people, and we understand that there is a difference between occasional jitters at a new experience and a diagnosed anxiety disorder. If your anxiety impairs your ability to function on a day-to-day basis, we urge you to seek professional treatment.
For more manageable forms of anxiety, we offer a few helpful hints.
- Learn your triggers. Observing what sets off your anxiety is a good first step towards overcoming it.
- Notice the signs. Be aware of the early stages of your anxiety – the butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms, feelings of frustration, or any other signs that can alert you to the fact that your anxiety is building before it becomes overwhelming.
- Practice coping strategies. Learn some techniques for handling stress and anxiety during times when you are calm and relaxed, and practice them so you’ll be able to utilize those skills when you need to.
- Manage time wisely. Procrastination and poor time management can contribute greatly to feelings of anxiety, so use schedules, lists, timers, or any other tools that help you stay on task and productive when you should be.
- Keep it neat. Better organization may reduce your anxiety if it’s an inability to locate necessary documents or items that causes stress for you.
- Talk it out. Whether you need to delegate some responsibilities or ask for assistance with a difficult assignment, communicating what you need to coworkers or management can remove some burdens from your shoulders.
Don’t Stress – Let Labor Solutions Help
Labor Solutions is here to reduce the anxiety about finding work or finding employees, so take advantage of our expertise and then relax!