Stress Management for Introverts: How to Stay Calm and Focused at Work
We all struggle with stress at work at some point. But for introverts, there are so many factors that can make working life stressful; meetings, difficult colleagues, office days - just dealing with people all. The. Time.
It can really drain your energy and leave you feeling stressed out.
But fear not, there are ways to tackle (and preferably prevent) stress, and today we’re sharing them with you.
Understand your stress triggers
The first port of call is to understand what exactly makes you feel stressed. When you’re already stressed your answer might be “everything”, but if you take a step back there are probably specific triggers.
It might help to keep a log of how you feel at each hour of the day. You might notice that you feel stressed after long meetings, or that your stress levels are high in the afternoon because you don’t take a proper lunch break away from your desk.
Of course, ideally you would be able to eliminate all sources of stress, but declining your manager’s 1:1 invitation probably isn’t going to go down well.
As a compromise, follow up stress-inducing situations with an activity you know will relax you, like a delicious snack break or moving your body (more on this later).
Create a stress-free workspace
I don’t know about you, but if my desk is messy, I can’t focus. It’s like a niggling irritation, stopping me from properly focusing.
According to Harvard Business Review, cluttered workspaces can cause stress and anxiety, and there are lots of studies which suggest that messy desks cause time wastage, inability to focus and, well, stress!
Meanwhile, a tidy workspace has been associated with positivity, more persistence when it comes to completing tasks, and even better food choices.
So take those five minutes to clean and organise your desk, you’ll feel much better.
Build your stress-busting toolkit
Unfortunately, each and every one of us will deal with stress at some point. It’s simply unavoidable. So it’s crucial to understand what helps you to shake off the stress so you can manage it without it ruining your day.
Make a list of all the activities that make you feel good, and make sure you’re doing them on a regular basis.
Ideally, you’ll have a mixture of big and small stress relievers, so you can plan the big ones and do the small ones when needed.
Some ideas:
Being in nature
Seeing friends
Exercise
Making a snack or drink
Taking time away from screens
Communicating stress at work
Sometimes, levels of stress at work are simply unmanageable. When this happens, it’s time to take action.
It can be scary to admit to someone that you’re struggling, but sometimes it’s the only way to move forward.
Sit down with your manager and let them know that you’re feeling stressed. It may be beneficial to prepare answers for what exactly is causing stress and how you think things could be improved, as these are likely questions they’ll ask.
Remember, your manager is there to support you.
And if the situation doesn’t change? Well, maybe it’s time to move on…
How do you manage stress at work? Come and chat to us on Instagram.
