As we continue the 12 Days of APH CareerConnect with our sixth day, we felt addressing stress was appropriate with the holiday season upon us. Depending on your work, you might deal with deadlines, coworker absences, floods of customers, increased hours, frustrated consumers, or stress on your own personal budget. Every worker faces stress on the job at one point or another. You could be working in an office or in fast food, but all jobs have instances of stress. Successful workers typically know how to handle stress in a healthy manner, and I am not talking about hitting your computer or cash register with a sledge hammer. That would be an unhealthy way to deal with work-related stress. As a worker who is blind or visually impaired, there might be additional stresses on you. Being an individual who is blind or visually impaired often means you have to be more organized and plan further ahead. For the sixth day of APH CareerConnect, we bring you six ways to relieve or manage work-related stress:
6. Starting off the New Year with an exercise regimen can make all the difference in the world. Doing 30 minutes of daily exercise can really brighten your day and improve your health. Fitting this type of routine into your day prior to work, at lunch, or after work can offer dividends in relieving and managing stress. Try walking, using the stairs in your building, or hitting the gym. I can vouch that all of these have helped me with my stress level at different times in my career.
5. Staying organized and planning ahead by using a calendar system can help to manage and prevent unneeded stress such as missing an approaching deadline for a project. You can read our post from the Seventh Day of APH CareerConnect for more organizational tips.
4. Each person has different ways of relieving stress; some are definitely healthier or more impactful. But, the fact is hobbies that take your mind off of work can score, too. I know my wife, Jen, has taken up crocheting, while others might play video games, sew, craft, paint, write, or cook.
3. Finding reasons to get up and move around during the day can relieve or help to manage stress. Keeping your blood circulating oxygen and getting our blood flowing can help. I am not talking about avoidance or procrastination, which is counterproductive. I’m talking about a break that helps you refresh. Take a walk around the office or open a window and listen to the outside world for a bit. Then, get back to work.
2. Having a quick snack or glass of water during the day can offer a little pick-me-up. Many people forget to stay hydrated, and this impacts their body’s functioning. A cool glass of water can offer some refreshment.
1. Go to the restroom and wash your face, as this can help spark your senses and feel refreshing. Now, don’t take a shower in the sink and forget to dry off—don’t be the wet guy. As simple as it sounds, this will relieve or manage some stress in the short term.
We wanted to provide you with six tips for the Sixth Day of APH CareerConnect. You can read super blogger Shannon Carollo’s past post on relieving work-related stress. You can also find a CareerConnect lesson plan series on stress management in the Lesson Plans for Teachers and Professionals section.
At the top of the page, you can choose to track the CareerConnect Blog to get notifications about new posts on the blog. Take the time to comment and let us know what you think of our 12 Days of APH CareerConnect countdown. And don’t miss our final five days, as we countdown to Christmas and the New Year with employment-related tips and advice.