Stress at work is something most of us face but when it builds up, it can affect your focus, confidence and how you handle the day-to-day.
From constant deadlines to tricky conversations, pressure is part of working life. But how you deal with it is what makes the difference?
We see first-hand how practical tools and management training can help people stay calm under pressure and lead with clarity even when things get tough. This ultimate guide shares straightforward, effective strategies you can use to manage stress at work before it starts managing you.
Work-related stress is multifactorial, with some people more susceptible to certain stressors than others. We’ve listed some of the most common triggers below.
Tight deadlines and high expectations can quickly lead to feelings of stress, worry, and inadequacy. While some leaders believe that setting unrealistic goals can trigger the motivation to succeed, the very opposite is often the case.
While measuring employee progress and holding them accountable for their performance is vital for business success, harsh critique can demotivate workers and increase their chances of looking for new roles elsewhere. What’s more, pressuring employees to reach unrealistic goals can sometimes push them into making unethical decisions that reflect badly on their employers and breach crucial legislation.
A lack of clarity surrounding a worker’s responsibilities can make them feel confused and frustrated. Insufficient guidance can prompt employees to wonder whether they’re doing a good job or whether they’re performing poorly. Such feelings can be very stressful, especially for employees who are new to their roles.
Almost half of workers across England and Wales feel undervalued by their employers, according to a recent survey, while 52% feel unsupported by their employers. This lack of recognition can cause employees to feel stuck in a dead-end role with no prospects or room for improvement. Over time, this lack of recognition and support can sap a person’s confidence and make them worry about the future – a very stressful state of affairs.
If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it’s that workers across the world value a generous work-life balance. In 2021, for example, a survey of UK workers revealed that 65% of jobseekers prioritised work-life balance over financial rewards and benefits.
Flexible hours and realistic workloads allow employees to spend time with their families, pursue their favourite hobbies, socialise with friends, and look after their mental and physical health – all vital components of a happy life. Without these elements, people may start to feel stressed and miserable.
While many people enjoy working in teams and value their colleagues, some workplaces foster competitive and toxic environments that can destroy such camaraderie. If workers feel unable to raise problems or fear being blamed for mistakes, they’re likely to feel tense and uncomfortable at all times.
Such hypervigilance and wariness will wear down their spirit over time, potentially leading to burnout. Remember – effective company cultures tend to promote a spirit of openness and reiterate a shared goal. As well as reducing feelings of stress, a positive environment encourages professional growth and creativity – both beneficial to long-term business success.
While looming deadlines and absent managers are significant and obvious factors in workplace stress, subtle factors can also add up to a real problem. While such triggers often go unnoticed or unacknowledged, they have the potential to ruin an employee’s energy, wellbeing, and motivation. We’ve listed a few of these problems below.
Thanks to the rise of digital technologies, modern workers are bombarded with emails, instant messages, social media alerts, and other notifications on a minute-by-minute basis. In fact, the average full-time worker receives over 30 emails a day, as well as 20 instant messages, 12 phone calls, and 13 text messages. Choosing how to prioritise and respond to these messages and requests can be mentally exhausting – especially for those with ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence.
Over time, constant decision-making can lead to procrastination, slower mental processing times, and impulsivity. If an employee’s job necessitates a high number of judgement calls, this experience can be very stressful and develop into burnout over time.
Everyone makes mistakes at work on occasion. Whether an employee accidentally hits ‘reply all’ or submits a final report containing typos, even minor oversights can cause feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, especially amongst perfectionists. Unfortunately, experiences of perceived failure can create issues like over-preparation and risk avoidance, which can drain an employee’s battery and prevent them from taking creative risks. Indeed, chronic fear of failure can also lead to imposter syndrome – a stressful feeling that you’re never quite doing enough or meeting the expectations of those around you.
As we’ve already mentioned, digital notifications and constant messages can be the enemy of productivity. To make matters worse, many organisations schedule unnecessary meetings that interrupt people’s focus and significantly impact productivity. Mental multitasking may feel like a recipe for productivity, it can be hugely stressful and detrimental to employee wellbeing.
While meetings often provide a quick and easy way to collaborate with others, overstuffed calendars can prevent employees from ticking off their to-do lists. As a result, many workers have to work overtime or rush to complete their tasks – both of which can be stressful experiences. What’s more, it’s difficult to complete so-called “deep work” – the tasks that require uninterrupted concentration and creative capabilities – when constantly interrupted by meeting requests. Meetings can be especially stressful for remote workers suffering from a phenomenon known as “Zoom fatigue”.
So, stress is clearly a common and multi-faceted problem that can affect virtually everyone. But how can it affect your life and ability to function at work? You may be surprised at the size and scale of the effects of stress…
Most of us are familiar with the physical sensations elicited by a stressful situation such as a job interview, college exam, or even a life-threatening situation. Known as the ‘fight or flight’ response, this reaction can include an increased heart rate, profuse sweating, flushed skin, digestive disturbances, muscle tension, and other physiological changes designed to help your body deal with a threat or run to safety.
The fight or flight response can be useful, helping you to stay focused and alert during stressful situations. However, research has shown that long-term exposure to stress hormones can have lasting health impacts, including the formation of deposits that clog the arteries, high blood pressure, and obesity. In the medium term, stress can also suppress the immune system and leave you more susceptible to illnesses.
Beyond these physical effects, chronic stress can manifest as irritability, anxiety, mood swings, and burnout. In some cases, stress can even play a role in the onset of psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and major depressive disorder.
As well as impacting your quality of life, this non exhaustive list of symptoms and disorders can significantly harm your ability to connect with others, fulfil your ambitions, and remain confident and productive at work.
When your brain is consistently exposed to stress hormones, it will enter survival mode. In other words, it will be primed only to pay attention to the most stressful aspects of your life, while disengaging from those deemed less important. If you’ve ever wondered why you’re more forgetful when you’re stressed, survival mode explains this disconcerting phenomenon.
In a work context, the stressed brain is unable to focus for any appreciable period. You may start to daydream during meetings and lose the motivation to complete tasks. As a result, your confidence may take a serious knock, creating a vicious cycle in which stress clouds your thinking and prevents you from performing well.
Healthy team dynamics represent the bedrock of a thriving workplace. However, chronic stress can throw a rusty spanner in the works. People under stress are more likely to withdraw from social situations, avoid important conversations, snap at their friends and colleagues, and misinterpret innocent comments as having malicious intent.
Over time, these communication problems can seep into the rest of the team and dent office dynamics. As trust breaks down and tension builds, colleagues will struggle to connect, share creative ideas, or resolve everyday problems in a calm and healthy fashion.
The consequences of stress aren’t contained to the individual. By impacting a person’s ability to carry out their everyday tasks and responsibilities, stress can detrimentally affect a growing business. Here are just a few of the ways stress can cost a business if left unaddressed:
The best way to handle stress is to nip it in the bud before it becomes a severe problem. The good news is that there are several techniques available to reduce workday pressures and boost your quality of life.
Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution to stop checking work emails at the weekend… only to revert to your old habits by February? Creating solid boundaries can be difficult if you’re only accountable to yourself and don’t talk to others about your plans. Communicating about your boundaries is the key to success, as it ensures people respect your right to switch off and enjoy a private life.
But how can you create boundaries without antagonising colleagues? Firstly, try to set clear “on” and “off” times at work by stating your working hours in your email signature and communicating clearly with colleagues about when they can expect responses to requests. As well as respecting your time, this can help build a healthy company culture that encourages work-life balance. Similarly, don’t be afraid to push back against requests if you’re at capacity. Overcommitment won’t help you climb the career ladder, especially if you’re overstretched and underperforming.
Even small habits have the potential to transform your workday for the better by helping you keep stress hormones in check. Methods to try could include:
If you’ve ever felt that you’re in a frantic rush to complete thousands of tasks, you’re not alone. Everyone experiences busy periods at work from time to time. Surviving these periods requires a strong ability to prioritise and a willingness to ask for help.
If you’re struggling to know where to start, prioritisation models such as the Eisenhower Matrix could help you develop an action plan, delegate effectively, and tackle decision paralysis. A quick catch-up with your line manager to discuss your workload and manage expectations could also give you the support you need to do a good job. Remember – pushing back against unreasonable requests is a crucial life skill that you may need to use on occasion, especially if your manager is unaware of how much work you have on your plate.
Most people experience peaks and troughs in their energy levels throughout the day. While many of us envy morning people, their energy and productivity levels tend to wane in the afternoon. Night owls, on the other hand, may hit their stride later in the day.
Work out the hours in which you thrive and use this time to complete your most demanding or creative tasks. For example, morning larks should focus on getting their difficult tasks out of the way before lunch, moving on to more administrative or repetitive tasks in the afternoon. Scheduling tasks based on your body clock is a surprisingly effective way to maximise productivity and manage stress levels.
It’s perfectly natural for disagreements and problems to bubble up in the workplace. Talking about these issues will help nip them in the bud and prevent them from becoming much bigger, more stress-inducing problems. But how should you go about broaching these potentially toe-curling conversations? Potential strategies include:
As you’re probably well aware, some degree of stress is unavoidable in most workplaces. Fortunately, there are simple tricks you can employ to prevent overwhelm and help you stay grounded.
Studies show that even simple breathing techniques can have a marked impact on stress hormones, helping you feel relaxed during hectic situations. Breathing deeply and slowly for a few minutes will likely have some effect, but there are a few tried and tested breathing patterns you can use for best results, including:
Grounding techniques are simple games or processes that help settle racing thoughts and allow you to focus. Here are just a few to try today:
Stress can manifest as various physical symptoms, such as a racing heart or a clenched jaw. Here’s how to soothe symptoms quickly:
Stretch your neck and jaw: Opening your mouth wide and rolling your shoulders back will help release tension.
Breathe deeply: This will lower your heart rate and calm jagged nerves.
Progressive muscle relaxation: Tense and release individual muscle groups one at a time, starting with your toes.
Eat well: Eating a nutritious, fibre-rich diet will help ease some of the digestive problems associated with stress.
On the hunt for a quick mental reset strategy that will bring genuine results? While different strategies work for different people, the following processes could provide a perfect solution:
Building resilience is a life-long project that requires regular check-ins and practising healthy habits. If you’re wondering how to prevent stressful spirals and stay grounded in the long term, it’s worth trying the following strategies.
Reacting defensively or fearfully to stressful situations is perfectly natural. However, it’s not always helpful. Understanding this simple fact will help you respond to them with calmness and intention. When a stressful situation arises, try pausing for five seconds before you respond, choosing your tone and words carefully. Similarly, recognising your triggers and stepping away from triggering situations for a short time will prevent you from making rash decisions you may regret.
Resilient people tend to be very self-aware and capable of recognising their strengths and flaws. Keeping a journal, for example, could help you reflect on adverse events, providing some objective clarity about your unhelpful habits and actions. Similarly, reflecting on what went well and what you learned at the end of the week is a great way to work through challenges. If you have access to a coach or mentor, talking through your issues with an objective observer could help you recognise negative patterns you wouldn’t otherwise have noticed. Remember – resilience is not an individual project, but a collective endeavour.
Building a resilient mind is difficult if your body is suffering. With this in mind, remember to prioritise sleep to support your focus and emotional regulation. The average adult should aim for between seven and nine hours per night.
When it comes to nutrition, try to avoid overindulging in sugar and ultra-processed food. Convenience foods can cause blood sugar to spike, eventually leading to crashes and burnout. By eating plenty of wholefoods, you can provide your body with the energy it needs to stay strong in a stressful world.
Finally, don’t forget the importance of exercise. As well as keeping you healthy and potentially extending your life, exercise can help regulate stress hormones and drastically improve your mood. Try to pursue sports you genuinely enjoy, as this will enhance your chances of making exercise a long-standing habit.
It’s easy to forget the importance of stress management during quieter periods at work. However, incorporating stress management techniques into your routine will help you thrive when the going gets tough. Potential behaviours to maintain include:
As we’ve already mentioned, managing stress is a group project – not an individualistic pursuit. When one person is stressed, this feeling can quickly seep into the rest of a team and the issue can spiral out of control. With this in mind, we’ve collated a few strategies for supporting others and helping yourself in the process.
You can’t help someone if you’re not aware of the issue. Remember – talking about stress can be difficult, so your team members may be inclined to put on a brave face rather than raise their concerns. Subtle signs that someone may be struggling include:
Managers are key to nurturing a positive company culture that protects against burnout. By modelling healthy behaviours like taking breaks, respecting others’ boundaries, and sticking to regular work hours, managers can encourage others to engage in stress-busting techniques. Asking direct questions about how they can help and support team members is also a great way to address problems before they snowball into something bigger.
Psychological safety describes a state in which people feel able to speak up and make mistakes without fear of judgement. Fostering psychological safety involves admitting mistakes, listening to feedback, and avoiding language that places blame on individuals.
While it’s impossible to avoid some degree of pressure, support can help mitigate the stressful feelings this pressure creates. This support could take the form of providing clear expectations, praising efforts as well as outcomes, and asking how you can help when someone appears to be burning out.
While stress is common, it can build up into serious mental health conditions if left unchecked. When stress becomes chronic anxiety or depression, interventions may be necessary. Fortunately, there are steps you can take if everything gets too much.
If you’re suffering from one or more of the following symptoms, there’s a good chance you need some support:
Support is available in more than one place. Depending on your preferences and comfort levels, it’s worth exploring the following avenues to help mitigate your stress:
Admitting that you’re struggling is anything but weak. In fact, it takes a lot of courage and could help you connect with others on a more human level. Some of the strongest people in the world have been through rough patches that have driven them to the brink. By speaking openly about this fact, we can give others permission to do the same and nurture a culture of empathy and resilience.
As we’ve learned over the course of this guide, stress is a common, all-too-human experience that can significantly impact our working lives. The good news is that there are steps you can take the limit the impact of stress and thrive in your chosen field. If you’re unsure about whether you or a colleague are suffering from burnout, our quick Burnout Self-Assessment Quiz could help uncover some realities you’ve been avoiding.
If burnout and stress are impacting your team, we also recommend exploring our Management Skills Training. As well as helping you nurture stress-busting behaviours, it will help you make the most of your team and make the office a fun and productive place to be.
Thanks again
Sean
Sean McPheat
Managing Director
Updated on: 22 April, 2025
Originally posted: 23 October 2018
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