How To Manage Stress At Work With Georgina Sturmer
GEORGINA STURMER BY CLAIRE JONAS PHOTOGRAPHY
We wondered how to manage stress at work and because it is stress awareness month we spoke to Georgina Sturmer for insight. Georgina is a Counsellor, MBACP who helps women to understand what is holding them back from being happier and more confident and resilient in their life and relationships.
Georgina shared with us ways in which we can manage our stress at work. This is what she had to say…
Strengthen your boundaries
We spend so much time at work, that when we become stressed things can quickly become overwhelming. This is why boundaries are so important. Physical boundaries, like stepping away from the office or turning off your emails. And emotional boundaries, like allowing yourself to maintain a distinction between your personal and professional sense of self. When we strengthen our boundaries it helps us to retain perspective.
Reflect on your relationships with your colleagues
Work tasks, projects and deadlines can be stressful. And our relationship with our colleagues can ease the burden. Or they can make things much harder. If you feel as your stress is compounded by a difficult relationship with someone at work, reflect on the relationship that you have with them. Do you find yourself repeating certain patterns of behaviour when you’re with them? Do they perhaps remind you of someone from your past? Does their criticism or commands weigh heavier than anyone else? If this is the case, then see if you can reframe things in your mind so that you’re able to deal with them in a calm, measured, and adult way.
Remember that you can only control the things that you can control
If work is getting on top of you, take stock of your responsibility. We can’t always control everything that’s happening at work. The actions of other stakeholders can have a real impact on our workload and our professional experiences. See if you can allow yourself to acknowledge this, and to avoid holding yourself responsible for factors that are simply outside of your control.
Track your stress
In order to understand our stress levels, we need to start by really tuning into what’s going on. It can be helpful to notice our track the patterns of our stress. This can help us to identify triggers. It can also give us a record that we can look back on. This helps us to question our thoughts and worries, and to understand if we are spiralling and catastrophising.
Remember the mind/body connection
Our physical wellbeing is part and parcel of our emotional wellbeing. Notice what happens to your body when you are stressed. Do you hold your breath, tighten your jaw, clench your fists? When we gather this information, it gives us a tool to design stress-relief techniques that are tailored to our own bodies, whether it’s related to breathwork, exercise or relaxation.
Knowing how to manage stress at work will be game changing for us. We will you be incorporating all we have learned from Georgina. Georgina is a Counsellor, MBACP, who supports women through the challenges that they may face during different parts of their life, including anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, pregnancy, fertility, miscarriage, postnatal depression, domestic abuse, trauma, and loss. More on her here.