5 Simple Ways To Start Managing Stress At Work

By Kibet Tobias
A recent survey published on one of the leading Kenyan dailies has revealed that many Kenyan employees are silently suffering from chronic stress, anxiety and severe burnouts at their places of work.
The 5 main causes mentioned included long working hours, work overload, lack of career advancement, job insecurity and financial constraints.
Truth is, stress at work is inevitable. It can be mental or physical.  We all have experienced stress in one way or another.
However, a little bit of stress isn’t always bad but much of it becomes chronic and can hurt your health and well-being, making you less productive at work.
It is always good to understand the best ways to handle job related stress.
So What Can You Do When Faced With Work-Related Stress?
1. Accept that you have a problem
It takes a lot to acknowledge that there is a problem and seek help.
Most of the professionals will suffer in silently and may not want to acknowledge that they are stressed.
In the era of redundancy, layoffs and retrenchments, it’s understandable why you wouldn’t want to disclose that you are stressed and need some time off work.
But stress is the number one cause of depression among many Kenyan professionals.
Just accepting that you have a problem is the first step to dealing with the issues related to stress.
2. Identify what is triggering your stress
When you’re experiencing work related stress, find out what may be causing it. It could be you no longer enjoy your job, colleagues rubbing you in the wrong way, salary related issues or just stress emanating from increased responsibilities.
Once you know what is causing your stress, you can then start handling it head on. Find out what you can do to make your days less stressful.
Read Also >>> 7 Part Time Jobs In Kenya To Look Out For Today
3. Reach out for help
Once you have identified the problem, seek professional guidance from trusted contacts. This could be your family, friends, coworkers, boss or supervisor. In most cases, when you are stressed you may find it difficult coping alone and may need a friend to step in and help them out.
If the problem persists, you can book a one on one career coaching session today to help determine what is causing your stress and best ways to handle that to prevent your career from stalling.
4. Learn to accept negative feedback as well
“Sometimes professionals will experience stress because they did not like what their boss or supervisor said and may form this notion that they are hated,” says Ms. Esther Kamau, a  professional career coach in Nairobi.
What you must understand is that not all feedback is positive. And once in a while you will experience negative feedback. But what do you do? Cower in a shell and think that no one like you or do you see it as a way to improve.
The latter is the best way to avoid unnecessary stress even before it occurs.
Be sure to always take notes every time you receive feedback from your boss- whether negative or positive. This will keep a record of your accomplishments and will give you evidence that you can use the next time you are summoned by the boss.
READ ALSO >>> How Career Coaching Changed My Life
5. Take time off work
This is one of the best ways of managing work related stress. Most professional would rather suffer silently than accept that a problem exists.
We all need a break once in a while and you will be surprised at how effective a few days from your desk can have on your health.
Take the break to recharge and get back in the game.
In the end, whether you love your job or not or are not getting along with your boss and colleagues, you can still find ways of coping with this stress without affecting your career or going into depression. By accepting that the problem is exists, you will be opening doors to finding ways of dealing with the stress.
The writer is a content writer at Career Point Kenya. For any related queries contact tobias@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke Or comment on the section below.