You are the perfect employee.
You’re always hitting deadlines, delivering on results and ticking off every box. You’re always busy and are praised for it.
But being perfect doesn’t always mean being healthy.
You don’t get stressed like other people or have an emotional breakdown. Sure, you get annoyed or frustrated but that’s as far as it goes. You know how to keep it under wraps.
But then, you start to notice that your mind and body aren’t catching up with the tasks you have. You get headaches, brain fog, even pains in your body that you can’t explain.
You start to panic. You can’t take a break. You have so much to do that taking even five minutes for yourself is impossible. You’re so on that even at home, you can’t switch off from work.
But here’s the thing. It’s not normal to be switched on all the time. It’s not normal to not rest after working.
We know you’re a hard worker. We know it’s not easy to rest when you have bills piling up and people relying on you. You can’t afford to stop and fall behind.
But those symptoms you’re getting are signs that your mind and body need to rest.
The reason why you can’t switch off is because your nervous system is in overdrive. While working non-stop makes you feel productive, it’s actually a stressor for you.
That’s why every time you think of resting, your anxiety hits the roof because the consequences of not working feels unbearable. When that happens, it triggers your fight or flight reaction and keeps it turned on.
The longer your stress response is active, the more exposed you are to cortisol and more likely it is to harm your body’s processes.
Taking a rest isn’t optional in the workplace. It’s a necessity. Now, you might be thinking to yourself, “How on earth do I rest when I’m always busy at work?”
Here’s how.
Protect Your 5 Minutes And Reserve It For Breathing
Here’s a challenge for you. You have to protect one 5-minute slot during the day. It can be at any time, but during those 5 minutes, you can’t think about work, talk about work or do any form of work at all.
Hide or dodge your colleagues if you need to. Find a spot away from your work environment and do this breathing exercise.
Breathe in for 4 and out for 6. Then repeat.
A longer exhale helps tell your nervous system that you’re safe, which in turn, switches off your stress response.
As you do this exercise, you’ll notice how your anxiety or chest muscles start to ease down and how your mind clears up too.
A breathing exercise might not seem like much, but if you’re low on time, this works as a perfect reset to help you get your focus back online.
Protect Your Lunch Break At All Costs
As tempting as it is to eat at your desk or get more work done during lunch, it’s your legal break! Whether it’s 20 minutes or an hour, take it. Even if your manager has their own opinions on what a lunch break is, that time is yours.
While you eat, don’t look at your phone. Instead, be present in the moment. Look around and notice the activity around you. Your mind needs that time to relax, not to be stimulated again.
Find Your Micro-Stresses And Deal With Them First
Micro-stresses are moments that seem small and manageable but gradually accumulate and drain your physical and mental health.
Create a table with two columns. On one side, list everything in the workday that frustrates you or makes you anxious. It could be any work you’ve been avoiding, any conversations you need to have, even how you travel to work.
On the other side, write down how you can handle each one (especially if it’s recurring), so it doesn’t hold you back every day.
The more you avoid something, the more the stress lingers. You don’t want that.
Avoid Taking On Tasks That Are Not Yours
We know the good person in you might be reeling from this. But the reality is that you’ve been hired to do a job. You have your own responsibilities.
If a colleague asks for your opinion, you can help out. But if a colleague asks you to do a task for them, kindly say no.
Your plate is already full and has no space. You’re not a bad or selfish person for setting work boundaries or not always being available to everyone.
Unless you’re assigned by your manager to help someone out, it’s not your responsibility to help them do their job.
What makes a great team is when every individual brings their own talents to the table.
Find Something You Love To Do
Whether it’s after hours or the weekend, reserve that time only for something you enjoy. It could be a hobby or an activity that makes you feel at ease and forget everything.
When your mind and body are stressed from work, it needs a release. That means doing something other than work.
What you’ll notice is that any soreness or tiredness you’ve been feeling goes away. You’ll also notice that your mind starts to get more ideas without being prompted.
When that happens, write them down but don’t act on them! Those ideas are for you to explore during the week.
“I’m too busy to relax” is a story we tell ourselves. And sadly, we make it come true.
We weigh up our responsibilities and our health and always put the latter last. We tell ourselves that there’s no other way around it. We have to burn out or face the consequences. But it’s not that black and white.
You might feel like it’s easier said than done. That your situation is different and you can’t afford to rest when you have everything on your shoulders.
But your situation is not in control. You are.
Also, don’t fall into the trap that productivity comes from hurting yourself. It comes from being well-rested and using your talents without that stress lingering.
Rest protects your mind and body from extreme harm. So, if you keep telling the story that you can’t take a break, repeat the steps above.
Make those small changes. And everything won’t feel so impossible anymore.Want a healthy, proactive workplace that doesn’t sacrifice your wellbeing? If you’re an employee who feels like workplace stress is getting too much to bear or an organisation who doesn’t want a team that burns out together, let’s have a chat and see what workshop will tackle your problem for good.
