The effects of work stress
Our bodies are designed to cope with stressful situations, but constant and prolonged stress seriously affects physical and mental health. Stress can increase absenteeism from work, decrease productivity and cause a loss of motivation. All this further aggravates the stress to which an individual is subjected. The key is learning to break the cycle, detecting when the body’s response to stress has become an everyday occurrence, rather than a useful reaction.
Dealing with stress is often not easy, but this doesn’t mean you have to accept the effects of chronic stress. Maintaining good physical health, through a balanced diet and regular exercise, is a great way to improve your ability to cope with stress. But you don’t have to spend hours in the gym. The key is to do things in a balanced way, especially when the workload suddenly increases due to the end of the year, and your mood is affected by bad weather.
ECS and stress
Fortunately, in our bodies we all have a biological system designed to maintain balance: the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Interestingly, the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia proposed that the endocannabinoid system “can combat the effects of prolonged stress.”
This statement goes hand in hand with the evidence showing that CBD (a cannabinoid present in hemp) acts on the ECS, exerting “beneficial effects on various pathological conditions”. In this sense, more and more studies are being developed to find out how the stimulation of the ECS with CBD could be beneficial for pathologies related to chronic stress.
Useful tips for dealing with work stress
Exercising and eating a healthy diet can help control the physical effects of stress, but dealing with psychological symptoms can be more difficult. Here are some simple tips that can help you.
1. Plan and prioritize
Even for those who are usually very organized, the chaos of the end of the year can be very upsetting. Knowing how to distinguish the essential from the non-essential is essential to be able to keep up with work.
Once you have selected the side projects that can wait, don’t forget to inform your boss or the rest of the team, setting a reasonable time frame to complete the task. This will make your workload much more manageable and prevent your boss from having unrealistic expectations or sudden surprises.
2. Talk about it
Talking about what worries you is really important, especially if you feel stressed. And unless you’re the only member of the office, you can be sure your teammates feel the same way. And as long as your boss doesn’t become a bully by the end of the year, he’ll recognize the importance of having a cheerful and motivated team.
Let them know about your concerns regarding the volume of work and deadlines. In most cases, concessions can be made that don’t hurt your job.
3. Give yourself some time
Going to the Bahamas to relax for two weeks is probably not a realistic option, but practicing deep meditation for just ten minutes can do wonders. You can also take a walk on your lunch break, or take some time at the end of the day to watch your favorite Netflix series.
4. Give yourself rewards that excite you
To pamper yourself, it is not necessary to throw the house out the window. Little things, like going out to dinner with your partner, can make work during the week more bearable. Instead of thinking only about the impending deadline, you will be excited about an event, activity or object.
5. Focus on the positive
It is very easy to become overwhelmed with things that are going wrong, or could go wrong, especially when you are working under pressure and with high levels of stress. But, really, work achievements are not exclusive to large projects; You just have to learn to recognize them.
In times of a lot of work, at the end of each day try to think of something that you are happy to have achieved. You will soon realize that even though the volume of work has doubled, you are making progress.
Although these tips may seem simple, they can greatly help you stay motivated and keep up with deadlines to close out the year. You may only need one, two, or all of the above tips, but feel free to combine them and find out what works best for you.
