According to a 2016 Harvard University report entitled, ‘The Workplace and Health’, 43% of working adults in the U.S. say their job has a direct impact on their stress levels, with 64% claiming they work overtime and on weekends.
Endless working hours are stressful enough. Add to that unreasonable deadlines, too many meetings, overbearing clients or customers and negative coworkers, and it’s no surprise that employee stress levels are at an all time high while their time for stress-relieving activities is limited.
The ‘Always On’ Effect
The expectation that we’re ‘always on’ and readily available to respond, has increased the pressure to be working whenever we’re needed, day or night. Research shows, however, this causes burnout and puts an inevitable strain on personal relationships.
The recent shift to remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the limits of lockdown, only up the pressure – and the lines between our home and office lives become blurred. Despite not being in the office, we’re spending more time on our screens, phones or messaging platforms than ever before, and we don’t know when (or how) to truly cut off.
The result? A big increase in psychological distress. A longitudinal study by the RAND corporation showed that within a one month period of May, 2020, the number of people who experienced psychological stress was the same number as for the entire year of 2019.
Wearing the Stress
Neuroscience research shows that work stress can send us into fight or flight mode, which raises our levels of adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol. As a result, our muscles tense, our breathing becomes rapid and our heart beats faster. We wear our stress as overtly as we feel it. Fortunately there are some fast fixes to finding calm.
Destress through Mindfulness
Mindfulness practices can downregulate the body’s stress response by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, and releasing calming hormones like oxytocin. Why not restore balance to your work day with these simple exercises to beat stress and calm the mind:
Three Simple Breaths
This basic meditation invites you to focus on your breathing for three breaths. Feel the breath enter through your nose or mouth, and concentrate on your lungs expanding. Then as you exhale, focus on the feeling of the breath as it gently and slowly exits the body. Take notice of the pause between the breaths, and repeat until you feel present.
Quick Body Scan
Stress is mostly held in the form of tensed muscles and tendons. By doing a mental body scan, we can see where we’re straining, then intentionally loosen up. Common spots of tension are in our brows, temples, jaw, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, abdomen, back, gluteal muscles, thighs, calves, and feet. So, concentrate on each body part and tell yourself to relax and loosen the muscles.
Calming Music
Slow, contemplative music can calm the mind and body. An instrumental music piece, for example, allows your brain to focus on sound rather than distracting lyrics or fast beats. Concentrating intently on the melody and slow tempo can engage the parasympathetic nervous system and release calming hormones.
Through these quick but effective mindfulness practices, available whenever you need them, and as many times as you like, you’ll help calm the body and mind, create better focus and achieve a more productive work day.
- The 3-Minute Breathing Space Mark Williams 03:00
- Mindful Minute: Releasing The Tension At Work Brian Lowell French 02:00
- 5 Minute Meditation Hugh Bryne 05:00
