Stress basics (10)
- Stress assessment: Rate your stress level
- Stress symptoms: Effects on your body, feelings and behavior
- How to be happy: Tips for cultivating contentment
- see all in Stress basics
Stress relief (23)
- Stress relief from laughter? Yes, no joke
- Spirituality and stress relief: Make the connection
- Need stress relief? Try the four A's
- see all in Stress relief
Relaxation techniques (9)
- Massage: Get in touch with its many benefits
- Yoga: Fight stress and find serenity
- Tai chi: A gentle way to fight stress
- see all in Relaxation techniques
Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
continued:
Tips for coping with stress at work
Improve your time management skills
Work overload — feeling you have too much to do — is a common cause of job stress. You may not be able to affect the amount of work you have, but you can use time management to help you be more efficient and feel less under the gun. Try these tips to improve your time management skills and lower your stress level.
- Set realistic goals. Create realistic expectations and deadlines for yourself, and set regular progress reviews.
- Make a priority list. Prepare a list of tasks and rank them in order of priority. Throughout the day, scan your master list and work on tasks in priority order.
- Protect your time. For an especially important or difficult project, block time on your schedule when you can work on it without interruptions.
Keep perspective
When your job is stressful, it can feel like it's taking over your life. Try to maintain perspective. Here are some tips that can help.
- Get other points of view. Talk with colleagues or friends you trust about the issues you're facing at work. They may be able to provide insights or offer suggestions for coping. Just having someone to talk to can be a relief.
- Take a break. Make the most of workday breaks. Even 10 minutes of personal time can be refreshing. Similarly, take time off, whether it's a two-week vacation or just a long weekend.
- Have an outlet. All work and no play is a recipe for burnout. Make sure to spend time on activities you enjoy, such as reading, socializing or pursuing a hobby.
- Take care of yourself. Be vigilant about taking care of your health. Get regular exercise and plenty of sleep, and eat a healthy diet.
Seek help
If none of these things relieves your feelings of stress or burnout, try talking with a health care professional. He or she can help you assess your feelings and consider all your options. In some cases, the best solution to intolerable job stress may be finding a new job.
Previous page(2 of 2)
- Stress...at work. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/99-101/. Accessed April 9, 2010.
- Segerstrom S, et al. Psychological stress and the human immune system: A meta-analytical study of thirty years of inquiry. Psychological Bulletin. 2004;130:601.
- Mind/body health: Job stress. American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/job-stress.aspx. Accessed April 12, 2010.
- Stress at work: How to reduce and manage workplace and job stress. HelpGuide.org. http://helpguide.org/mental/work_stress_management.htm. Accessed April 12, 2010.
- Cunningham JB. The Stress Management Sourcebook. 2nd ed. Los Angeles, Calif.: 2000.
Find Mayo Clinic on