15 Easy Ways to Undo Your Work Stress
Dealing with mental health in the workplace is a global issue. In the past, we have championed for workplaces to treat mental illnesses in parity with physical. But while you’re waiting for HR to act, there are some quick-fixes you can do to allievate the stress your job places on your mind. Try one of our work-life hacks to keep you ticking over till you’re off the clock.
Feel the squeeze
Snapping a pencil, tearing notebooks and gripping things very tightly relieves pressure. Your boss’s neck doesn’t count.
Drown it out
Your local has health benefits by the bottle; a wee tipple reduces stress say, Scottish scientists. Cheers, laddy!
Nip it in the bud
Identify your personal boiling point; snag a set of Bragi Dash (£107, ) earbuds to keep tabs on your pulse and temperature.
Zap anxiety
‘Electrotherapy’ rewires your brain for less anxiety, better memory and general mental aceness. Try the Alpha Stim (£749 from themicrocurrentsite.co.uk).
Amino yo’ arteries
Stress creates cholesterol-rocketing cortisol. BCAA pills help to keep yours in check (according to the CCR Journal). (Side effects: bigger arms).
Don’t see red
Deadlines and salty al desko diets make your blood pressure soar. Lower it with a handful of potassium-rich sundried toms.
Go off the boil
Swap your triple espresso for milk, and nuke it. “Calming hot drinks curb stress-induced cravings,” says PT Julia Buckley.
Outsource stress
If admin’s driving you crazy, try taskseveryday.com: they sort your paperwork for £5 an hour. It’s cheaper than a sexy secretary, if less gratifying.
Procrastinate
…At least until evening. “The best time for mental focus is 5-6pm,” says sleep specialist Dr Matthew Edlund.
C-off dementia
Your boss giving you an earful raises your dementia risk. A high-vit-C diet cuts it by 15%. Eat a guava to show who’s boss.
Go nuts
A Snickers might get you out of the office faster. Chemicals found in nuts reduce memory-harming brain plaque by 62%.
Be a drip
Palpitations are a bad sign. If worried, book an L-carnitine drip session (£225 from efmedispa.com): a Mayo Clinic study found it cut deaths in heart attack survivors by 27%.
Steep easy
Struggling to rest is par for the good-job course. “Tea contains theanine, a calming amino acid,” says PT Matthew Lambert.
Make a yolk of it
“Eggs and wholegrains are rich in vitamins B5 and B6, which have a role in reducing stress levels,” says Lambert.
Boxset therapy
Watching a favourite TV show strengthens your willpower for dull tasks, says the University at Buffalo. Better The Walking Dead than the working dead.