Modern life is stressful. The biggest causes of stress have been said to be money, job worries and our health so it is no wonder that the pandemic has increased reported stress levels across the world. In the past year 74% of people have reported feeling so stressed they said they felt unable to cope, but what do we mean when we talk about stress? In this blog post we’ll take a small departure from our usual topics  to bring you the top three causes of stress at work, and some easy things you can do to help relieve the symptoms of modern life. 

 Cause #1 – The Pandemic 

The three main causes of stress are work, money, and health. If we consider what we as a species have been through in the last three years it is unsurprising that we are seeing stress levels soar: Job uncertainty, soaring costs of living, and a deadly virus.

People have lost their jobs and gone through huge changes in lifestyle. We think this is one of the biggest underlying stressors that people perhaps aren’t giving enough credit to. The focus is on ‘getting back to normal’ and not realising the strain we have all been under.

Cause #2 –Poor Organisation

This can be poor organisation on the part of the individual, or the perceived poor organisation of the company or management. Insufficient workloads, too heavy a workload, not enough time, and unreasonable demands all stem from poor organisation. This can cause a great deal of stress from feeling a lack of control. Unfortunately, when it comes to poor management there isn’t always a great deal you can do. You can, however, take control of your own organisation and manage your day to help reduce unnecessary additional stress at work.

Cause #3 – Perfectionism and Pressure

Following on from our previous point, pressure at work is a major cause of stress at work. But, this can be caused by many things, not just poor organisation. Social media causes a great deal of stress related to perfectionism and the pressure to be better. Constantly comparing yourself to how well others are doing, or your perception of how well they are doing, is demotivating and stressful! 

How to Reduce Your Stress at Work 

Nothing will completely get rid of stress, it is a natural physiological response, and serves productive purposes such as boosting focus and motivation in the right amounts. Too much though, and we can lose the ability to carry out our normal tasks and feel unwell. Here are some of our tried and tested ways to prevent and manage stress:

Good Food is a Good Mood

Good food, nutrition and hydration. Caffeine is not a problem for everyone, but you might want to reduce your intake and see if it helps. Sugary breakfasts wreak havoc with your blood sugar levels, which cortisol (the stress hormone) does too.     

Get Out in Nature

Or at least a walk in your local park. On your lunchbreak, in the morning. If you can hack it, leave your phone at home and listen to nature and resist the temptation to scroll. You can make use of digital wellbeing controls on your phone – turning off app notifications for a specified time.  It is hard to separate using social media for work and personal use resulting in spending way too much time online, so a walk without your phone is a great two in one stress buster 

Get Organised 

Just keep it simple.

Look After Your Health

We hope you find these tips useful, remember no job is worth your health. If you are feeling stressed and unable to cope then please reach out to friends, family members or seek advice from a professional. If it is a work-related problem you could consider speaking to your line manager. Something as simple as talking through your worries can really help you feel calmer, and realise you are not alone in feeling stressed.