Mental health in the workplace is crucial for your well-being and performance (1). However, stress is an omnipresent companion in everyday working life. To stay healthy and balanced, it is important to recognize typical stress traps and actively counteract them.
Typical stress traps in the workplace
- Constant availability: Constant availability can mean that you can never really relax.
- High workload: If your mountain of tasks grows continuously, it can quickly become overwhelming.
- Perfectionism: The demand to always work flawlessly increases the inner pressure.
- Lack of breaks: Without regular rest, your concentration and energy level will suffer.
- Poor communication: Unclear agreements and conflicts can create additional stress.
How to actively counteract this
- Set clear boundaries: Consciously switch off after work and avoid work emails in your free time.
- Prioritize tasks: Use techniques such as the Eisenhower Matrix (2) to separate the important from the unimportant.
- Learn to say no: Set healthy boundaries and don’t take in more than you can handle.
- Plan conscious breaks: Get up, take a deep breath or take a short walk.
- Address problems openly: Communication is key to avoiding misunderstandings and conflicts.
- Use relaxation methods: Meditation, breathing exercises or sports help to actively reduce stress.
Your mental health is in your hands
By recognizing typical stress traps and actively counteracting them, you create a working day that doesn’t burn you out, but strengthens you. Set clear boundaries, listen to your needs, and give your mental health the value it deserves. Because only if you protect yourself can you remain productive and satisfied in the long term.
- Bernatzeder, P. (2017). Where do we want to go? Where do we stand now? In: Springer eBooks (pp. 1–16). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-55249-0_1
- Eisenhower, D. D. (1954). The Eisenhower Matrix, https://www.orghandbuch.de/SharedDocs/bilder/Webs/OHB/DE/header/4_analysieren_bewerten_priorisieren.jpg?__blob=poster&v=3