8 Ways to Reduce Workplace Stress

More than 50% of workers are not engaged at work as a result of stress, leading to a loss of productivity, according to The American Institute of Stress. It's alarming for sure, but nobody is really too surprised given the past few years of environmental disruption. As the trend of increasing workplace stress continues, it is even more important for leaders to take an active role in how much stress employees feel at work. According to a Korn Ferry survey, 35% of respondents said their main source of stress at work was their boss. Also, 80% of workers covered in the survey said leadership changes affect their levels of stress.

As leaders, we have a major responsibility to NOT be a cause of stress for team members and at the same time stay focused on achieving strong business results. To reduce workplace stress, leaders have two major approaches that can help. First, they can focus on organizational design, the environment and work processes. Secondly, leaders can support team members to focus on their own personal habits to reduce stress. When leaders support both of these strategies, workplace stress can be reduced to a minimal amount where productivity soars.

This article will focus on how leaders can help team members reduce their stress through focused mindful activities. It's best to work on one or two ideas at a time so that new behaviors can form gradually and become part of a normal working environment. As you build more of these into your daily work routines, you can see results that are substantial.

A great way to introduce these activities is to pose them as questions. For instance you could ask, "Who takes micro breaks during your day and how does it help you reduce stress?" This allows team members to share and hear from each other what might be working. If no one responds, you can share how you are doing the activity and lead by example. Then encourage everyone to give it a try and report back at the next meeting.

1) Take micro breaks throughout the day

Micro breaks are less than 5 minutes. This can be as simple as getting up from your work station and taking a short walk, go up and down a few flights of stairs, or go outside and zip around the block. It could also be pausing to talk with a coworker about non-work topics. These micro breaks change your perspective and reduce stress.

2) Move your body and stretch frequently

We've all heard how important stretching is yet we seldom find ourselves doing it. This can be as easy as grabbing your laptop and sitting down on the floor where it's easy to start stretching, even while you are working. You could go the other way and stand up to stretch right in your workspace. Just few minutes goes a long way to reducing your stress.

3) Practice conscious breathing

Learning and practicing a simple breathing technique is an easy way to reduce your stress. One way is to sit still and consciously breathe slowly through your nose for three minutes. There are hundreds of simple techniques. You can find a few good ones here.

4) Reduce time spent with toxic people

We've all had experiences where we encounter someone at work who is overly negative and complains way too much. It's unfortunate, but they do still exist and they can easily cause you undue stress in your workday. If you make a conscious choice to simply reduce the amount of time you spend by exiting conversations, declining invitations and avoiding time spent with these types of people, your world will change for the better.

5) Do some grounding at work

Grounding is a simple way to reduce stress by connecting directly with the energy

of the earth by putting your bare feet on the ground without wearing shoes and socks. An easy method is to grab your lunch to go, find a park or area with some grass, take your shoes and socks off and eat your lunch with your bare feet on the ground or simply take a barefoot walk in the grass. You can learn more here.

6) Meditate

Most people have heard of meditation and know about the benefits of the practice, yet few find themselves as regular meditators. The key is to start small with short sessions of just one to three minutes. You can start with a simple method of sitting still with your eyes closed and breathing calmly through your nose. You can do this right at your desk multiple times a day and notice your stress start to melt away. Here is a short video to help you get started.

7) Protect your energy field from energy vampires

This may seem odd at first, but when you realize that we are all energy beings with an electro-magnetic field that surrounds our bodies, you start to feel sense other people's energy. When you are in public places in close contact with other people, you can be affected by other people's energy fields. You can protect yourself by raising your consciousness and becoming more aware of your energy field. You can consciously intend that your field is protected by a shield of energy by feeling gratitude for something or someone you love. This simple focus on gratitude can amplify your energy field and protect you from negative forces and other people's negative emotions.

8) Engage in weekly consciousness coherence upgrades to reduce your stress

Utilizing advanced scalar energy sound frequencies can assist you in reaching an internal state of deep relaxation and stress release so that your work days are more productive. In just 15 minutes, it's like you've been meditating for hours and without the need for years of practice and loads of discipline. You just sit, relax and put on your headphones. These powerful consciousness expanding upgrades can truly make a difference in your well-being.

Click here to learn more about Consciousness Coherence Upgrades for stress reduction.

These simple stress reduction techniques can have a profound impact on your team's productivity. By encouraging stress reduction activities, you give your team members permission to take responsibility for their own well-being. This is empowering and fosters a culture of accountability that can span across all aspects of work. When people feel calm and confident, they become more competent. The results are well worth the effort.