Want to beat work stress?

If you want to beat work stress for good, read on…

Stress is something we all feel from time to time, some more than others, and for some of us it can have a major impact on our life. From wearing us down mentally, to chipping away at our physical health, stress can wreak havoc in all areas of our lives. We chatted to the experts to find out exactly what the key triggers are and how we can avoid them.

Working 9 ‘til 5
One of the major stress factors in most of our lives is work. Even if you’re one of the lucky ones who have landed their dream job, it’s likely something at work will make you blow every now and again. According to a recent poll published by The Independent on Sunday, Britons are now finding their jobs more stressful than ever before.

Travelzoo conducted research with psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos to find out more about work stress and found that more than 13 million working days are lost each year due to stress. Laura Higgins from Travelzoo said: ‘Over a quarter of working women feel overwhelmed by modern working life, a huge 43% of them constantly check their emails outside of work and 37% don’t socialise during the week because they are too tired – these percentages were higher across the board for women compared to men who seem less stressed and pressured by their jobs.’

All that extra work is bound to put anyone under stress, but do you really know what it’s all about and what it’s really doing to you?

The science bit
‘Stress is our body’s way of coping with the demands we place upon it, whether physical or emotional, “good” or “bad”’,’ says Life Coach Liz Goodchild. When we are frightened of something, perhaps it might be a barking dog or even a huge rollercoaster, our body releases chemicals such as adrenaline and cortisol into our bloodstream, which provide us with strength and energy – the classic fight or flight mechanism – to help us to deal with the situation.

We guess you might be wondering what ‘good’ stress could be, but there are a few scenarios where stress can help us out, believe it or not. ‘”Good stress”, if we can call it that, is when you feel anxious and worried before a job interview,’ says Liz. ‘The chemicals released provide us with a jolt of energy that helps us to perform at our best.’ This is often why we feel a massive comedown after a particularly stressful situation as the chemicals slowly subside.

The warning signs
Not sure how stressed you really are? Keep an eye out for these warning signs says life coach Louise Presley Turner: ‘Your blood pressure increases, your heart beats faster, muscles tighten, your breath quickens and your senses become much sharper’. These physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed reaction time and enhance overall focus, preparing you to either fight or flee from the danger at hand.

Liz compares the way humans deal with stress to the way animals cope. ‘In the wild, animals deal with stress, such as being chased by a tiger, by physically shaking themselves free of the physical and emotional trauma. This means that they can very quickly re-find their herd and get back to “normal”’, she says. Unfortunately for us humans however, we can’t do this and if we don’t find ways of releasing our stress in the long-term, this can hugely impact our happiness and wellbeing. ‘Long-term stress looks like insomnia, physical illness such as stomach-related problems, depression, anxiety, headaches, irritability and social withdrawal,’ says Liz.

Getting back on track
There are ways in which we can help our stress levels, though. Mindfulness, exercise and letting go of needing to control everything, can greatly help to reduce stress. ‘Release the stresses of the day by taking just two minutes to meditate each night before bed,’ says Louise. ‘Meditation has been proven to significantly reduce stress levels and improve peace of mind.’

But what can you do to help you chill out at work? ‘Get out of the office at lunch and take a walk in nature,’s suggests Louise. ‘Nature is incredibly healing and it’s amazing the benefits a bit of fresh air can have on physical and mental wellbeing.’

You should also be mindful of your workload and how much you take on to help others out. ‘Are there aspects of your neverending list that you can delegate to others? If your task list overwhelms you to the point of feeling completely frozen, prioritise three things on it that need to be done today, and move the rest to different days throughout the week,’ says Liz. To help break down large projects, work through it with small, actionable steps. Look at the smaller picture rather than months down the line at the end product – ask yourself, ‘what do I need to do right now to take the first step?’

And one last tip, unfortunately for all you coffee addicts out there, another way to reduce stress is to lower your caffeine intake and if you take sugar with your favourite pick me up you best think about reducing that as well.