Your manager sends a voice note at 9:40 at night. The traffic from Tabarbour took an hour. Three deadlines arrived on the same Sunday. Much of what causes stress at work sits outside your control, so focus on the small part that does not. None of the habits below will make a difficult job easy, but together they can make a week more manageable.
What the research says about work and stress
The World Health Organization defines stress as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation, a natural response everyone experiences. Its fact sheet on mental health at work estimates that 16 percent of working-age adults were living with a mental disorder in 2023, and that depression and anxiety cost the world around 12 billion working days a year. The WHO lists excessive workloads, long or inflexible hours, little control over the job and conflict between home and work among the risks, and recommends manager training, flexible working, and stress-management skills and leisure-time physical activity for individuals. The habits below are the individual half of that picture.
Protect the edges of your day
How a day starts and ends affects what happens in between. Try these:
- Spend the first ten minutes after waking without your phone
- Eat something before your second coffee
- Pick an evening time when work messages stop, and tell your colleagues
- Wind down before bed with reading or stretching, in line with WHO advice to keep consistent sleep times and limit screens
Build small resets into work
Long, unbroken hours in front of a screen are tiring. Stand up once an hour, even just to fill your water bottle. Slow your breathing for a minute before a difficult meeting. A short walk at lunch, away from your desk, can interrupt a stressful loop.
Make the workload visible
Stress grows when everything feels urgent. Each evening, write down the three things that matter most tomorrow. The NHS makes a similar suggestion in its stress busters: plan, prioritise, and leave the least important tasks until last. When a new request arrives, ask which of your current tasks should move to make room for it. Many managers do not realise how much is on your plate until they see it.
Look after the body under the stress
The basics are boring and effective, and the WHO and the NHS point to the same ones:
- Regular meals, as skipped lunches often lead to irritability later
- Keep caffeine to the earlier part of the day; the NHS warns that caffeine, alcohol and smoking give only temporary relief and can create new problems
- Move most days, even for a brisk 20-minute walk; the WHO notes that daily activity including walking can reduce stress
- Aim for a consistent sleep time, including on the weekend
- Spend time with people not connected to your job, over a family lunch on Friday or tea with a friend; the NHS notes that talking things through can help you see a problem differently
Smoking and shisha may feel relaxing in the moment, but they are worth cutting back.
When stress is more than stress
The WHO advises seeking help if stress symptoms persist and affect your daily functioning, since this may indicate anxiety or depression. See a doctor or a mental health professional if you have persistent low mood, panic, constant poor sleep, chest pain or palpitations, or if you depend on alcohol, sleeping pills or other substances to cope. Asking for help is sensible, not weak. If you have any thoughts of harming yourself, contact emergency services or a trusted person immediately.
Sources
- Mental health at work · World Health Organization
- Stress · World Health Organization
- 10 stress busters · NHS
This article is general health information for educational purposes and is not medical advice. It does not promote any product. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting a supplement, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have a health condition or take medication.