Stress can be seriously problematic in workplaces; the UK loses nearly 10 million working days to stress every year, according to The Guardian. The good news is that there are various ways of managing stress – some of which you might not even have previously been aware of. Try using or recommending the following techniques and see what effects they have in your own workplace.

Consider what is causing stress

You might be tempted to take a sick day to avoid taking on a workplace responsibility that you fear could too easily defeat you. However, imagine if a work colleague admitted the same to you. Would you have as little faith in their ability to triumph in this responsibility as you have in yourself? You could reason that what you are fearing is not such a big issue after all.

Have a dauntingly large task? Break it down

With a huge challenge on your hands, you could easily feel overwhelmed and unsure where exactly to start with it. However, by breaking that task down into smaller stages, you will give yourself a succession of jobs, each of which you could be confident about handling. Completing just one step could seem like a victory in itself and get your brain started on processing all of those stages.

Swap coffee for lemon balm

No doubt many of us can be tempted by coffee when we have a lot to do but are strapped for time. However, quoted in a Press Association article published by BT is A.Vogel nutritionist Emma Ross, who warns that caffeine “triggers adrenaline production, which leaves us feeling on edge”. She urges drinking lemon balm instead, as it is “extremely good at calming agitating nerves.”

Endeavour to be more mindful

Mindfulness is about focusing on happenings in the current moment rather than “mind-wandering”. This is where your mind drifts to a subject unrelated to what you are actually doing at the time – and research hints that we spend an average of up to 45% of a day in this mental state. There are several ways of tapping into mindfulness – including focusing on each of your senses in turn.

Take time off as necessary

Through keeping your work/life balance in check by taking breaks when they are available, you can help ward off stress. HR magazine says that managers can promote this –  by encouraging employees to have lunch breaks and all of the holidays to which they are entitled. Don’t stress yourself trying to meet unrealistic demands – and, if someone else is making those demands, be willing to tell them so.

Make use of stress management training

At Frosch Learning, we offer a training programme on which you and your workers can learn various methods for handling stress. Techniques taught on the course include visualising success, resolving conflict, and thinking like a winner instead of a loser. People whose work is starting – or likely – to be adversely affected by stress can benefit from taking this stress management training.