Chronic workplace stress and pressure can trigger cravings and decrease your ability to function healthily. Do you often find yourself feeling angry, helpless, or sad while you are at work? You might be experiencing chronic workplace stress. You are not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “71% of adults reported at least one symptom of stress.”
Do you often wonder how you can make the workday more manageable? You can make changes to your work routines to cut down on stress. Mindfulness, honest communication, and self-care make a significant difference in how you feel at work and throughout the course of your day. You do not have to continue suffering while at work. Find out what makes you feel uncomfortable after you clock in, and then find healthy ways to avoid, prevent, or cope with those situations.
Does Going to Work Leave You Anxious and Exhausted?
A good way to judge your workplace stress level is by paying attention to your body. If you feel anxious or exhausted every time you think of work or get ready to head in for the day, then you may need to make some changes. A few workplace stressors include:
- Unreasonable deadlines
- Lack of agreement among leadership
- Workplace gossip among coworkers
- Racism, ableism, or other forms of discrimination
- A heavy workload and long hours
- Significant changes to policies and procedures
- No recognition despite performing excellent work
You might experience one or all of the things listed above, and each one increases the amount of overall stress you feel on a day-to-day basis. Issues with being overworked or underappreciated can interfere with your self-esteem, physical health, and recovery from substance use disorder (SUD). Being stuck in an uncomfortable environment causes long-lasting emotional distress. You need to look out for your mental and physical well-being by being honest about how work affects you and the steps you can take to keep from feeling overwhelming.
Workplace Stress Can Increase Risk of Relapse
Chronic stress can significantly contribute to your risk of relapse in the first few months of early recovery. Situations may trigger cravings or intrusive thoughts about substance misuse. Overcome those moments by using your coping skills to respond in a healthy way. Common workplace triggers include:
- Angry or passive-aggressive language or behaviors
- Uncertain job expectations
- Stigma surrounding your past substance misuse
- Workplace politics
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “Stressful life events can trigger relapse,” including job-related stressors. Issues in the workplace can impact your physical and mental health. Sometimes the stress comes from setting high self-expectations that are difficult or impossible to meet. Even with encouraging coworkers and a supportive work environment, you might feel extreme pressure if you expect yourself to accomplish unreasonable goals.
An essential part of recovery from substance misuse involves increasing self-awareness and self-confidence by recognizing potential issues and overcoming everyday obstacles. Workplace stress can complicate the challenges you face during early recovery by leaving you feeling helpless and uncertain.
Work Challenges in Early Recovery
During early recovery, you are more vulnerable to developing mental health disorders and other issues. If you work in a stressful environment, you might find yourself relying on maladaptive behaviors to cope with the challenges you face day-to-day. Information published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that “one-fourth of employees view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives.” In addition, “Problems at work are more strongly associated with health complaints than are any other life stressor.”
You are not alone in feeling overwhelmed by professional responsibilities. Draw strength, motivation, and determination to keep moving forward from the positive relationships in your life. Your coworkers, friends, peers, family, and anyone else who has held a job can relate to your experience to some degree. Stressful work becomes more manageable when you talk about it with someone who cares about your health and well-being.
Unique Challenges of Working From Home
Working from home comes with unique challenges that can make creating a healthy work-life balance more challenging. You may need to schedule your hours around your child’s schooling, leaving you to scramble to complete projects by their deadlines. Being interrupted throughout your workday by family members or pets can also increase stress and leave you feeling torn between addressing the needs of your loved ones and finishing work responsibilities.
Decrease stress at home and address these challenges by making a dedicated space and time for work. Set your work tools out of sight when you clock out at the end of the day. You can place them in another room or in an area where you will not see them. Remove the temptation to finish “one last thing” by keeping them away from the places where you spend the majority of your time. If your work computer is also the device you use for personal tasks, you may want to make a separate user account that you use only for work and can sign out of at the end of the day.
Use Your Support System
The recovery community is an excellent place to share stresses you may encounter during the week. Most people can relate to the challenges you face at work with coworkers or supervisors. Being understood and heard can do a lot to lower stress levels.
Use your support system and share it with your mentor, sponsor, or therapist. Talking about work pressures can be cathartic and freeing when it validates your experiences. Many people vent about work to their spouse, therapist, sponsor, or peers as a way to process and move past pressures experienced at work. If you stay at a sober living facility like Real Recovery Sober Living, you will have access to peer support and individuals who understand what you are going through.
Identifying Stressors at Work
You might not know for sure what sets off your feelings of anxiety or depression, and that is perfectly normal. Work can be a busy and confusing space where multiple things happen at once and connecting the dots is not always straightforward. Keep track of when you feel the most anxiety, depression, difficulty focusing, or exhaustion to see if you notice a pattern.
Usually, it is pretty easy to identify what causes you to feel bad at work. For example, if you feel listless and unable to focus after spending several hours on phone calls, you may need to negotiate your duties or decrease the amount of time you spend on the phone. Once you identify the stressors in your work life, it becomes easier to develop preventative measures.
5 Ways to Lower Stress at Work
The amount of freedom you have at work will depend on your company’s policies and the type of accommodations they allow. Stigmas surrounding substance misuse and recovery might influence your manager or coworkers, making it more difficult for you to get access to the accommodations you need to remain stress-free at work. Regardless of the circumstances, you can try these five easy ways to destress while on the clock:
#1. Practice mindfulness exercises to ground yourself and remain focused. Stress is often caused by thinking of future deadlines or past mistakes you may have made. Cut out that mental noise by consciously focusing on the present, using your favorite grounding technique. Dozens of free apps exist with grounding exercises that you can use on your phone while at work.
#2. Slow down and control your breathing to encourage muscle relaxation. Deep breathing techniques automatically relax your muscles. Whenever you start to feel tense and stressed at work, you can take several minutes to breathe deeply. A common exercise involves breathing in through your nose while mentally counting to four, holding your breath for a six-count, and then exhaling through your mouth for an eight count. Do this for several minutes, and your body will relax. The increased oxygen also helps alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression.
#3. Request accommodations or a transfer to make your daily responsibilities more manageable. You may find that you no longer have the focus, patience, or desire to continue working in the same position. Depending on where you are employed, it may be possible to change your schedule or move to another department. Not everyone has that luxury, and you might need to look into finding another job that fits your lifestyle better. Your mental health is essential to continuing recovery, and sometimes ensuring your mental well-being means pursuing a different career path.
#4. Schedule regular micro-breaks between your tasks to keep yourself focused. Even a short break can help you refocus and feel more energized. A good rule of thumb is to take a two-minute break every 25 to 30 minutes. Use that time to rest your eyes and look away from the computer screen, do some stretches, and let your muscles relax.
#5. Focus on the positive aspects of your workplace and the relationships you have with colleagues. Being bombarded with negative thoughts or interactions can often turn a workplace toxic. However, one easy way to combat negativity is to focus on the positive aspects of your job and coworkers. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), “Research has found a link between an upbeat mental state and improved health, including lower blood pressure, reduced risk for heart disease, healthier weight, better blood sugar levels, and longer life.” Every day you can look for something that makes your work experience positive.
Prioritize Your Mental Health
Mental and physical health are directly linked, which means you put your health at risk every time you choose not to prioritize yourself throughout the workday. You may benefit from making significant changes in your work. Whether that means changing jobs, moving to a new position, or requesting accommodations for your current position will depend on your specific circumstances. Speak with your therapist and members of your support system to find the best solution for you.
Build a Healthy Career During Recovery
Recovery gives you a healthy foundation to build a new life and a more meaningful career. You get to choose what your future looks like including where you work. Unfortunately, your options may be limited depending on where you live and your work experience, but there are ways to decrease stress related to work no matter where you are. The future belongs to you.
A toxic workplace can lead to high levels of stress and increase symptoms of anxiety or depression. Early recovery is a difficult time, and you might find yourself feeling ambivalent about continuing treatment and therapy if you continue to experience chronic stress at work. However, you can take action to make your workspace and time on the clock less stressful by making a conscious choice to slow down, practice healthy coping skills, and focus on the positives. You may not get to choose where you work or what tasks you have to take responsibility for, but you do get to determine how you react to them. Take each day one step at a time, and stay grounded in the moment to decrease anxiety and symptoms of depression. Real Recovery Sober Living offers a community space where peers can find encouragement and support. Contact us today to learn more by calling (813) 488-5048.
