Managing stressful situations at work

HERE are some ways to help you manage common stressful situations at work – difficult work-life balance.

Give yourself short breaks
Take these throughout the day, as well as half an hour away from your desk at lunch. Spend some time outside if you can.

Take some time off
Try to use the holiday you’re entitled to. If things get too much, a few days off or a long weekend can help you feel refreshed.
This can even increase your productivity in the long run.

Focus on your life outside work
Develop relationships with people you don’t work with.
Develop interests and skills that you don’t use in your job.
This can help you see the difference between your personal and working life.

Develop end-of-day habits
Finish your working day by tidying your workspace or making a to-do list for tomorrow.
This can help you switch off from work, especially if you’re working from home.
Lack of support in your workplace could induce others to have internal support systems such as mentoring or buddy systems.

Tell someone you feel unsupported
You should be able to discuss this with your manager.
If you feel you can’t talk to them, speak or write to someone else. This could be your human resources department or trade union representative.

Develop good relationships with your colleagues
Connecting with people you work with can help build up a network of support.
Having connections with co-workers can also make work feel more enjoyable.
Difficult work relations at work may upset you because of the way they behave.
Their behaviour may cause you serious problems. It can make work feel harder to cope with.

• Next week’s edition: Managing common stressful situations at work (continued).