Reduce Stress at Work

How to Reduce Stress and Anxiety at Work?

Never before in our history, have we seen such levels of stress, experienced by the workforce on a global scale. On top of that, the Covid 19 pandemic has forced unprecedented changes in the way we work.

There are mixed feelings in facing this new normal of working from home or going to the office on alternate days. Some love the flexibility of a home office and others prefer the structured venue that work has to offer.

So even moreso now, there is a burning need to equip ourselves with ways to reduce stress at work especially knowing the scenario that stress is here to stay.

You might think about running away into nature as a means for stress management but other stresses may surface. Dealing with social distancing in a public place and many other uncertainties of being outside home.

Despite the fact that stress has been painted as the culprit for all our woes (from health to finances) stress per se is not bad. It has the ability to motivate us to act, for example, in a fight or flight situation.

Do I stay and face the danger or run? An NLP course helps you identify the root cause of this anxiety and how to eradicate it.

It could be used as a marker that something is wrong. Any incidence of physical symptoms like headaches, fatigue and insomnia, indicate that a health issue is on the horizon.

Used as a friend, stress could be our indicator to prevent serious health issues. Paying attention to such symptoms as they surface, we could calibrate our health levels efficiently. An NLP for work course details stress management techniques, clearly and simply.

Stress is caused by external factors such as having a high workload, meeting tight deadlines, caught in traffic when you are running late or getting into arguments with your boss or colleagues.

Our level of stress depends on how we respond to such factors, thus giving birth to the concept of stress management. And if ignored, chronic stress can lead to serious health issues.

Stress can trigger anxiety too. So, on top of experiencing stress, we can sometimes feel anxious about being stressed out. This is double trouble that no one needs. It is important to reduce anxiety at work and in general, because it can lead to more serious issues such as panic attacks or even depression if it is ignored. When we reduce stress at work we automatically reduce anxiety at work.

In this article we look at using NLP to reduce stress and how it can also help with stress management on the whole. The methods are not so much about eliminating stress but rather on how to deal with stress, as it is impossible to eliminate stress altogether.

An NLP for work course can specifically teach you how to reduce stress at work. A good one would include the following three simple yet effective methods, among other valuable techniques.

Reframing
Changing the way you experience it is a great way to reduce stress at work. If you think about stress as being all bad, then you are missing out on important cues to take action. If you see stress as an indicator then it becomes useful. This is known as reframing in NLP.

Learn to take a step back and examine what causes you to become stressed out. Is there any particular situation or person that triggers it; does it happen at a certain time of day; is it connected to something outside the work place.

An NLP course can teach you empowering techniques to take control of how you respond to stress. Most people blindly react to stressful situations, which leaves them exhausted. Having to constantly react rather than respond thoughtfully, is energy sapping.

Anchoring
The function of the mind is to keep us safe. Thus, if we link a person, thing or situation to pain, it triggers stress. And our mind’s job is to move us away from the said person, thing or situation.

But what if that person, thing or situation is work related? We cannot be running away every time it gets unpleasant. Learn how to reduce stress at work by breaking this link to pain.

Instead, form links that are healthier and more useful by creating a new anchor. For instance learn how to link satisfaction, joy or gratitude to different aspects of your job at an NLP course.

Beliefs
Some beliefs that limit a person and cause stress could sound like this:

• I can’t handle stress
• All companies take advantage of their employees
• I must please my colleagues all the time otherwise they won’t like me

You may be labouring with such beliefs that hamper your performance and affect your well being.

Reduce anxiety at work by reflecting on the beliefs you hold about your job. Learn how to delete unhelpful, or worse still, damaging beliefs and install effective ones instead.

Attending an NLP for work course is a great way to do so. You have the choice of never having to struggle against such limiting beliefs, ever again.

In conclusion, stress is here to stay. It is impossible to eliminate it altogether. The useful mindset is to equip yourself to deal with it. This is a more empowering way that could keep you in good health.

The great news is that anyone can learn how to reduce stress at work. You do not need to have a special gift or talent for it. It is a learned skill just like many of your other work skills.

Sylvia Fernandes is the Founder & CEO of VIA Frontiers. She is a Master Trainer of NLP who is specialised in corporate applications. She started her business in Sydney in 2002 and has been operating in the Asia Pacific Region ever since. She is currently based in Singapore. She is also the author of Bye Bye Black Cat -- Turn Your Luck Around and Realise Opportunities. Visit VIA Frontiers for more information.