Most people aspire to have a job they look forward to doing each and every day – and while many of us will reach that goal, there is no escaping the stressors that comes with any dream job.
When you care so much about your work, it’s inevitable that a “side effect” of that passion will often times cause the stress monster to rear its ugly little head. While it’s impossible to completely do away with stress, I’ve found that through focus, de-stressing, and organization, you can alleviate a great deal of that unwanted stress that floats over your head. I’ve searched the interwebs high and low to bring you five of my most favorite blog posts to guide you on your relaxed and clear minded journey to success.
3 Exercises to Focus Your Mind
I found this little gem of a blog post on My Yoga Online’s website. These three exercises are all based around the power of being present in the moment, i.e. meditation. Let me first say that I am the worst meditator ever – I avoid yoga like it’s the plague for that very reason. In usual circumstances, I sit on my yoga mat as the instructor tells me to be present and let all my thoughts drift away. In that moment all that is going through my head is, “Wow, it’s really quiet in here and kind of smells like B.O. Crap! I forgot to turn my straightener off when I left. Oh well, I’m sure it will be alright.” Basically, my mind is everywhere except in the moment.
Now that you know about my struggles with meditating, you can imagine my hesitation at attempting any of the three exercises mentioned in this blog – that is until I read this, “You sit down and think to yourself, “Stop thinking, stop thinking. No thoughts. Blank. This is really uncomfortable. Did I lock the door? Ah!” – and that was when I started reading a little bit more. The three exercises provided in this post are amazing. They allow you to be present in the moment by doing something active with your mind. One of the benefits of meditation is that it allows you to focus your thoughts. If you’re mind is racing at work, try giving one of these exercises a go. I assure you you’ll come out more calm, composed, and ready to tackle your next work assignment.
Stay Focused Online: Avoid the Social Media Time Trap
Facebook, Stumble Upon, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram…the list of social media distractions can go on and on and on. With all of these amazing and exciting ways to connect, who can blame us for being distracted from time to time? I’ll tell you who, your boss! Whether it’s watching YouTube videos, browsing your favorite blogs, or Tweeting your favorite celebrity on Twitter, these social media distractions can quickly get you off task and decrease your productivity. Luckily for you folks out there, I wrote a very in depth blog post on things you can do to avoid the “Social Media Time Trap”. I encourage you to check it out, read it, and get inspired to be focused!
10 Much Needed Stress Relief Techniques at the Office
White faced, head in palm, caffeine overload – we’ve all been to that awful place when you are so stressed out that it feels like the walls are closing in on you. The irony of being in such a terrible stressed out state is that it doesn’t assist in your performance, it hinders it. Next time you feel yourself getting into that deep and dark mindset of total freak out mode, calmly click on this link and do one or all of these 10 stress relief techniques. Also, remember not to be too hard on yourself if you aren’t able to eliminate most or all of your stress – a low level of stress and anxiety is very useful and arguably essential to getting things done.
9 Ways to Create a Stress Free Work Environment
If you’ve tried all of the 10 stress relief tips above and nothing seems to be working, then it might be time to take a look at what your work environment is like. Is your desk super cluttered? Is your cubicle or office sterile and lacking of any personal touches? Are you not the greatest communicator? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might consider checking out this great post on Forbes by Jenny Foss to learn ways that you can create a Zen work environment. The post includes tips on how to deal with your coworkers, how to personalize your work space, and how to communicate effectively. Remember: you can’t control the people around you, but you can control how you respond to them.
21 Tips to Organize Your Office and Get More Done
It is really amazing how much of a difference having an organized work space can make in your productivity and your stress levels. By nature, seeing a million random papers and Post-it notes is stressful – yet during those times when a deadline is approaching, it is extremely challenging to maintain a clean and orderly office. Fortunately, the internet is full of amazing tips to stay organized even in the most chaotic of times. This post by Royale Scuderi on Lifehack includes the best tips I’ve found by far (in my opinion, of course). Some of the tips include establishing work zones for different parts of your desk, creating a reading folder, and assigning discard dates to documents that tend to hang around longer than needed. All of the tips are very useful and I encourage you check them out!
Hopefully after reading all of these great posts you are feeling motivated to start striving for a more focused, balanced, and stress free work life. Here’s me wishing you good luck on this ever continuing journey!