8 experts share their top tips for tackling stress at work

woman looking stressed

Credit: Getty

Stylist Network


8 experts share their top tips for tackling stress at work

By Ellen Scott

2 years ago

6 min read

In any job there are going to be moments of stress. How do we navigate these? We asked 8 experts for their advice. 

No matter how zen you may be, a little bit of stress at work is inevitable. Whether it’s due to your manager having a disproportionate sense of urgency or yet another pointless meeting appearing in your calendar, there will be times when your workload feels unmanageable and you can feel your heart rate beginning to rise. 

There is such a thing as healthy stress in small doses, but the problems arise when there’s too much stress that builds up, often to the point of burn-on, then burnout. It’s essential, then, that we manage work-related stress before it overwhelms us. How do we do that, you may ask? We chatted with 8 experts for their top tips. 

Book a meeting with yourself

Protect your time away from work by making it clear to everyone (including yourself) that this is a period where you won’t be contactable. 

“Make sure you book lunch into your calendar, and even state on your ‘Out Of Office’ that you are actually ‘taking a self-care day’,” advises Audrey Tang, chartered psychologist, mental health broadcaster and author of The Leader’s Guide to Wellbeing. “Not only does booking time in just for you remind you that you are as important as all the other people you make space for, but you have a great opportunity to role model what self-care looks like to friends, colleagues and maybe even your boss.”

Have a breathing break

Obviously, you should be breathing all the time when you’re working. That’s quite important. But consciously focusing on your breathing at dedicated moments throughout the day can be a transformative practice. It’s handy to have an arsenal of breathing exercises you can pull out in moments when you’re being bombarded by Slack notifications, everyone needs your help and your to-do list doesn’t seem to be getting any smaller. 

“Taking breathing breaks throughout your day will help energise body and mind, making you feel calmer, clearer and less stressed,” says Noa Belling, psychotherapist and author of new book Stress Less: Managing Anxiety In A Modern World. “Pause and take three to five breaths as slowly as you can, breathing in through your nose and blowing air out through your mouth. Unfolding your posture and stretching can help enhance effectiveness by releasing pent up tension and allowing air to flow more freely through you.”

Make a ‘not doing’ list

If you suffer from fear of missing out, you’re afraid to say “no” or you are trying to prove a point that you can do everything, you might find that for every one thing you tick off your to-do lists, you add five more. Sound familiar? 

Olga Valadon, workplace empathy expert and the founder of Change Aligned, argues that a “not doing” list is a great way to practice the art of letting go: “Next time you pick up your pen to add that task to the list, challenge yourself with these questions before doing so: What positive impact can I make by taking on this task? What is the personal cost of adding this task to the list? Weighing these answers will help you make a conscious choice and be more strategic about what you choose to take on.”

If the task isn’t really necessary or could be done by someone else, free yourself from the weight of another point on your to-do list by putting it on your ‘not doing’ list instead (and delegate where possible, or at least tell the person asking that you don’t have capacity to complete the task for now). 

woman happy at work

Credit: Getty

Reframe stressful communication as an opportunity to connect

Does the thought of speaking up in a meetings, explaining ideas to your boss or even giving a dreaded PowerPoint presentation leave you in cold sweats, short of breath and with a knot in your stomach? According to Matt Abrahams, author Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot and the host of Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast, the key to alleviating this stress is to reframe communication in our minds as an opportunity. 

“Embrace it as a chance to relax, express your personality and enjoy the collaborative process,” he tells Stylist. “Your colleagues know how you feel, so as the mindset shifts, so does the overall work environment, fostering positivity and open collaboration for everyone.”

Go for a walk in nature (even if it’s on Google)

“A brisk walk in the woods is not only a feast for your senses, but also very good for your health,” says psychologist Thijs Launspach, author of Crazy Busy: Keeping Sane in a Stressful World. “Regular walks in nature do wonders for your fitness, prevent cardiovascular diseases and even increase your life expectancy.”

Venturing out on your lunch break to frolic in the forest sounds lovely, but for many of us this won’t be an option. You absolutely should still break free of the office and go for a stroll in a city landscape, but for an extra hit of nature, Launspach has an unexpected tip: look at images of trees online. 

He tells us: “Did you know nature does not even have to be real? Just looking at pictures of nature turns out to be good for your concentration. So, get ‘walking’ via Google Image Search and choose a picture of a forest on your desktop background.” 

Talk to other people in your industry

“I took too long in my career to share my experiences with others, but when I did I found so many women who were dealing with the same things,” says Lauren Neal, author of Valued at Work – Shining A Light on Bias to Engage, Enable and Retain Women in STEM. “It is stressful when you’re constantly trying to be seen for the value you bring. Sharing your experiences with others enables you to hear from their perspective – it helped me to realise that it wasn’t me that was the problem, and armed me with ideas of possible solutions for challenges.”

woman smiling

Credit: Getty

Engage in empathy

Empathy might just be your superpower at work. Using it inwardly and outwardly can make a world of difference in your stress levels. 

“When someone says something particularly stressful to you at work it can trigger negative self-critical thoughts you can’t control, and that impacts how we feel and perform,” says Mimi Nicklin, host of The MiMi YouYou Show and author of Softening The Edge. “However, you can use your outward self-empathy to redirect how much stress this creates for you. This means that when these moments occur, you can look at the bigger picture to identify the intention behind the comment rather than the comment itself. 

“Focusing on the bigger picture – why are they complaining? What are they trying to guide you to? Why do they care about this? – instead of thinking about how to reply or feel about the comments, will allow you to significantly reframe away from ‘stress’ to perfectly manageable ‘datasets’.”

Similarly, self-empathy is vital. Be gentle with yourself when you’re feeling overwhelmed, and be curious, not judgmental, about your emotions. 

Find a mantra and make it visible

“It might sound bonkers,” says Duena Blomstrom, international keynote speaker and author of Tech-Led Culture: Unlock the Full Potential of Your Business and People, “but the ‘Agile’ tattoo on my forearm reminds me to be the best version of me.”

Don’t worry, you don’t need to get inked. What you can take from Bolmstrom is the power of having a visual reminder to pull you back from the edge. Perhaps it’s a calming mantra, an affirmation, or simply a note that your health is more important than your to-do list. Work out what message you need to hear in time of stress, then write it down and make sure it’s visible at all times.  

“I know I that when I get overwhelmed, either because of my NeuroSpiciness or just sheer volume of insane work when I hyper-focus, I’m going straight to burnout land and I’ll be no good to my employees or family,” Blomstrom notes. “In these situations, my tattoo helps bring me back to the best version of me.”

Images: Getty

Share this article

Sign up for our fortnightly careers guide packed full of the advice and expertise every working woman needs and receive our ultimate guide to kickstarting your career using LinkedIn.

By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy

Thank you!

You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.