7 Tips for Managing Stress at Work or School to Avoid Burnout

Common stressors are often attributed to the variety of ways that we handle our work at school and especially at our jobs. Lots of studies over the years indicate that these types of stressors greatly contribute to health issues. These range from mild problems like digestive troubles, insomnia, loss of appetite and low energy, to sometimes severe issues like heart disorders and auto-immune deficiencies among others.

It's often a bit of a challenge to manage these stressors. But there are certain methods that work more than others. So here we'll discuss 7 of the most effective stress management techniques today for the modern student, employee, and executive. You're recommended to try out any of these strategies. You'll be able to customize each one and find out for sure which works best for your particular situation.

7 Effective Stress Management Techniques for Students & Executives Today

1. Focus on your curiosity over your need to master what you're currently doing.

Many say you'll never work a day if you do what you love. You'll be doing just this when you dedicate your time at school or at work to satisfy your curiosity in learning new things and also in finding more cost-effective ways to do the same things and produce much better results.

Simply put, concentrate on the journey, not on the destination, and you'll be able to reduce the stress that's associated with the stuff you do at school or at your job. Our brains are wired to associate the things we do to satisfy our curiosity with wonder, amazement and playful learning. That's because many of us did the same things when we were children, all trying to learn new ways and solving problems we haven't encountered yet at that time.

2. Dedicate an hour or so for solitary reflection.

Many say this is most effective when done while preparing for school or work. That's because you'll be able to learn from the things that you did the day before. And at the same time, you'll amuse yourself while thinking of tactics to integrate what you learned into the stuff you want to do for the rest of the day.

This can effectively help you manage stressors throughout the day. That's because you'll have a clearly laid out plan to follow and guide you along the way as you do your day-to-day activities. You'll also be able to clear your mind and focus on things that interest you the most before you start your day.

3. Think of a relaxing ritual or routine activity that you can do on a daily basis.

Some prefer to take a break with a cup of tea or coffee outside the confines of their home, school or workplace. This presents you with new sensory inputs as you try to think of other things aside from your work at school or at your job or your responsibilities at home.

Doing this while surrounded by the same objects and people as you do your work won't be as relaxing. You'll often find yourself chatting with your colleagues as they take their own breaks in the same areas around your school or workplace. And most of the time, your conversations will still be about work and home-related stuff. It'll even sometimes be about your stressful duties and obligations!

4. Take mini-breaks more often.

You're recommended to hit pause time and again. Even a 3 to 5-minute break for pondering about other things while you're still at your school or workplace can clear your mind and reduce your stress levels.

Many suggest doing this at least 2 to 3 times per hour during the day. Your body and mind tend to work much better after each of these mini-breaks. This then keeps you relaxed as you go back to doing your work.

5. Integrate a 15-minute meditative session into the end of your workday.

Many say they get more restful sleep when they do this an hour or so before bedtime. A lot of them also claim to wake up feeling more energetic and optimistic than days when they didn't meditate before they slept.

Meditating is similar to solitary reflection. But the main difference is that your objective is to clear your mind from all work-related stuff and stressful duties at home when you meditate. Meanwhile, the goal of solitary reflective sessions is to learn from the immediate past and apply these to your plan for the rest of the day.

6. Always keep in mind that you're often responsible for creating your own stressors.

A lot of studies indicate that many postgraduate students, newly hired employees, and corporate executives unnecessarily tend to stress over their environment, colleagues and loved ones expect from them. Social media also has a significant influence over this.

So focus on what you want to achieve instead of what you think others are expecting from you. This can help you identify unnecessary stressors that are just holding you down from hitting your primary goals and objectives at school or at your job. Remember, what others expect from you is mutually exclusive from what you want to do and also from the things that actually need to be done for you to hit your targets.

7. Concentrate on present-day activities.

Just resolve the most time-sensitive issues that you encounter while you're doing your work at home, school or at your job. Don't focus too much on the future, especially in the very distant future. You'll be tackling those things anyway at the time they begin to happen and become more significant to you.

Also, avoid spending too much time and energy thinking of the past. This tends to produce more regrets than helpful learning, especially when you can't stop yourself from over-thinking and mainly focusing on your mistakes and things you should've done better.

Keep in mind these 7 effective tips for managing your stress levels at home, school and at your workplace. Try to gradually develop a routine that incorporates all or some of these things. You'll be able to cherry-pick and customize these to best suit your unique situation. Much better techniques can also surface while you're following these tips.