5 Easy Ways to Relieve Stress At Work

3. Laugh it up

You’ve probably heard it said many times that "laughter is the best medicine," but don’t write it off just yet. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are few natural stress relievers better than laughing.

No, we're not kidding. (See what we did there?) Laughter has the ability to relieve stress from the inside out.

First, laughter is a natural way to take deep breaths and get more oxygen, which is huge for relaxing tense muscles. But laughing also helps to release endorphins that boost your stress response and balance your heart rate.

If your coworkers are a cause of your stress, let them be a part of the solution. Take some time to share a story, a good (SFW) joke, or reminisce about a funny moment from last summer's company barbecue.

Not only will it help your personal stress levels, but it might also help improve communication with your colleagues. Then, this might just lower your stress entirely … and isn't that why you're reading this in the first place?

4. Journaling

The point of (and benefit to) journaling is to:

• bring awareness to your thoughts and what’s triggering stress; and
• help you release negative thoughts and emotions by writing them down so that you can let go and move on.

This practice is especially helpful when your mind feels cluttered, and there’s something about writing your thoughts and feelings down that can be therapeutic and calming. Moreover, it will help you to uncover the hidden beliefs behind your emotions so that you can challenge and process through them later

5. Practice affirmations

Feeling confident at work can reduce stress levels and increase productivity, which is one benefit of positive self-talk. Let yourself know what you appreciate about yourself out loud so that you can internalize and process your affirmations.

Remind yourself, “I’m good at my job and a valuable part of my team,” and this will help you conquer negative feelings.

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If you're able to calm down, you'll be in a better position to address the stressful situations you're experiencing. In addition to the 5 quick options here, regular stress relievers such as hobbies, along with healthy lifestyle habits such as exercise, can help reduce your overall stress levels in the long term and help you deal with stressful situations in the future.

Remember, stress shows up differently for different people. You might be looking for pain relief for muscles and joints, or you might be more prone to breakouts, eczema or other skin conditions that are heightened by stress. Keep in mind that stress relief is a long-term process. But if you can find a few minutes in your day to relax, refocus, and re-calibrate, those last few hours of work might just be your most productive.

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