We’ve all been there. The frustration, stress, and exhaustion of work lead to a weight on your shoulders that’s hard to bear. Fortunately, you have several options to turn this around. Here are some small steps that can help you on your journey.

1. Align Your Tasks With Your Goal

Knowing your end objective and what needs to be done to get there is not enough for coping with workplace stress. Despite getting thus far, many people still need to catch up on their job and accomplish their objectives.

Knowing which of your responsibilities should be treated as urgent and which may wait till you have some downtime is the key.

Frequently checking your email might seem like a good idea, but it’s another cause of stress and a waste of time. You should dedicate 30 minutes each morning and afternoon to answering emails instead.

In this way, you may devote more of your time to activities that bring you closer to your objective. These responsibilities include creating a PowerPoint presentation, producing a business proposal, or completing a significant undertaking.

2. Set Aside Some Time for Planning

Taking a break is necessary if you are drowning under the weight of your workload and can never seem to catch up. You’d be better off focusing on your goals and figuring out how to prioritize your tasks so that you can better manage your time than you would be trying to play catch up and failing miserably.

For example, if your first objective is to regain control of your workload (something that hasn’t happened in months), setting aside 10 minutes to plan your approach can make all the difference. When you have a firm grasp on your end objective and individual steps to get there, you’ll be prepared to move on to the next phase.

3. Create Positive Relationships at Work

Recognizing the need for and being open to assistance from people beyond one’s immediate support network is essential for coping with work-related stress. You’ll feel supported and relieved in your personal life. You’ll be able to cope better with the terrible situations you’re facing because of the distance you’ve put between your everyday responsibilities and their negative relationship.

It would help if you attempted to develop relationships with people who work with you. Visit the office happy hour or arrange a midday coffee break with a coworker to bond with them. As a bonus, you’ll have someone to talk to about work, and you can expect to develop a more positive outlook on your job.

Having a good rapport with your superiors can also help reduce stress. It’s crucial to have open and honest dialogues about your current work situation and your hopes and expectations for the future with your superiors and coworkers to create a plan for making the workplace better for everyone involved.

When you do this, you’ll be able to let people in and get the aid you need.

4. Remove, Change, or Accept the Stressors

Take a sheet of paper and make three columns on it. Put “remove” in the first column, “change” in the second column, and “accept” in the third column.

Next, think about the things at work causing you the most stress. It could be your pay. It might be much less than you’d like or think you deserve. Don’t worry; this is your chance to stop worrying about how little you make.

Which do you like better?

To stop working for a company.
Asking for a pay raise is a way to try to change your salary.
To agree that your pay is good enough for you.
You might be surprised by what you think about it. Don’t turn them down, but give yourself time to figure out what to do next.

If you’re happy with things, write “paycheck” in the “accept” column. If you want to stay with the same company but get a raise, write “paycheck” in the change column. And finally, write “paycheck” in the “remove” column if you decide it’s time to look for a new job at a different company.

By deciding this way, you’ll feel in control immediately, and your stress will start to go down. All you need to do now is set a clear goal.

Of course, if you have more than one source of stress at work, you can use your remove, change, or accept sheet to eliminate all of them. It will be a GREAT use of your time.

5. Take Mindful Action Towards Your Health

Work stress can make it hard to keep up with healthy habits, making you feel even more stressed. Keeping up with and improving your physical and mental health will help you deal with stress.

Eat Good Foods
Ensure that the foods you eat give your body all the nutrients it needs. Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish with omega-3s, and seeds like flax, chia, and hemp. These kinds of food ensure that your body’s ways of dealing with stress are working at their best.

Don’t eat unhealthy things.
This is obvious, but these are the foods you crave when you’re upset or stressed. High-fat foods like cheese and red meat make you feel tired and slow. Cookies, chocolate bars, and bread are easy snacks high in refined sugars, but they make you crash and burn.

Exercise Regularly
Endorphins help you feel better when stressed, and you can make more of them by working out. Exercise gives you a break from your thoughts and helps you put them back in order. Start working out right away to make your body and mind healthier.

Get a lot of sleep.
Prioritize getting 8 hours of sleep to help lessen stress at work. It can be hard to fall asleep when stressed, but not getting enough sleep makes our anxiety worse.

6. Take Time for Yourself

Workplace stress can be overwhelming and have a domino effect on your life. As a result, taking mental breaks from work and learning to deal with stress effectively is crucial.

Get some rest and recreation so you may return to your work with renewed vitality. Spend time with your loved ones, go to a place you’ve always wanted to see, or whatever else makes you happy.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, taking a day off work may not be an option, so plan for regular breaks instead. Relax by sitting still or stretching to increase blood flow.

The pressures of the workplace are something that affects us all. This is a perfectly typical and natural response. Creating a pleasant atmosphere and way of life can be the difference between allowing stress to overwhelm you and learning how to deal with it.

It’s a job inside and outside of yourself to learn how to deal with stress at work. Better mental and physical health are the result of prioritizing health improvement. Connecting with particular people can help you feel more emotionally supported.