5 tips to prevent work stress (+ what can you do as an employer?)

Coping with Stress at Work

Whether we like it or not, work can bring stress. And while we have no control over certain situations or the actions of others, we can still try to make the things we can influence as joyful as possible.

Perhaps you experience stress and anxiety because you want to perform well or because it is unclear what is expected of you. When addressing stress in the workplace, there is a responsibility on both the employer and the employee to deal with stress effectively. Are you experiencing work stress right now? Then focus on what you can positively influence or change. We give you some tips.

1. Think like a lawyer

Often it is not the situation itself, but our thoughts about a particular situation that cause us stress. Ask yourself critical questions and stick to the facts. So look at your own thoughts like a lawyer would.

If you always assume the worst possible scenario, it is only fair to also consider the best possible scenario and the most likely scenario. A few questions you can ask yourself in stressful situations are:

• What am I worried about?
• To what extent do I think this outcome will occur?
• If there is an undesirable outcome, what can I do?
• What other solutions can I think of?
• What do I like about my work?
• When can I work on this?

2. Use cognitive restructuring to reduce negative thoughts

There are few employees who always feel calm and positive. In fact, many of us experience stress and negative thoughts daily in the workplace.

Perhaps you doubt your own abilities, fear being fired or suffer from tremendous fear of failure. Cognitive restructuring can help you turn negative and irrational thoughts into positive and realistic ones.

Read more about cognitive restructuring

3. Put things in perspective

Stress at work can often feel like something big and overwhelming, especially when we're afraid of making mistakes, missing a deadline or having too much on our plates.

At times like these, it's important to put things in perspective. Ask yourself: would this situation still matter in five years? For example, you have three children and think it is important to have breakfast together in the morning and take them to school by yourself. But this morning things went a little differently and as a result you were late for work. Normally, you always like to arrive at work on time so you can prepare for the day. Rushing to the office causes you to start your day with stress.

If your work is stressing you out, it's time for a reality check. How important is it to be late for work once in five years? You'll probably answer that it's not that important. Then ask yourself what are the negative consequences of being late to work once. Perhaps you fear that you won't get your tasks done or that your colleagues won't take you seriously. In that case, you can go to your employer to indicate that you are late and what you can do to still complete your daily tasks.

4. Be kind to yourself

Another way to reduce stress at work is to be kinder to yourself. When we experience stress, we often tend to think negatively about ourselves. Thoughts such as "I don't want to fall through the cracks" or "I probably don't deserve that promotion" can come up at such a time. But why do we talk to ourselves so unkindly?

If you want to prevent work stress, it is important to talk more kindly to yourself. Basically like you would talk to your best friend! You probably wouldn't tell your friend that he doesn't deserve the promotion when you know he tried tremendously hard. So why would you say this to yourself?

5. Use meditation or mindfulness to relieve stress

Stress prevention is always better than cure. But if you are looking for ways to reduce stress at work, practicing meditation or mindfulness may be a good option.

Many people think that mindfulness causes you to be less productive. But this is far from the truth. In fact, mindfulness can help you accomplish your tasks more efficiently and with more enjoyment.

It may take some courage on your part, but it's always worth discussing work stress with your employer. After all, the truth is that work stress affects us all. In fact, more than a quarter (27%) of people in the Netherlands experience stress at work on a daily basis. Your employer plays an important role in discussing mental health in the workplace. He or she may be able to encourage taking conscious breaks or offer other tools to reduce stress.

What can you do as an employer in the event of work-related stress?

With Meditation Moments for business you can preventively improve the well-being of your employees. Your team members get access to all the premium content in the app (including 300+ meditations, breathing exercises, focus music, sleep stories, and yoga and stretching exercises).

Team members can also use the Meditation Moments app outside of work. In fact, meditation works best when you make it part of your daily routine. Your team members can thus take a moment for themselves whenever and wherever they want. Not only is this a good way to combat absenteeism, you also show that mental health matters.