Its common knowledge that work stress can lead to significant health consequences that range from relatively benign to potentially serious ailments. But while stress at work is common, finding a stress-free job is close to impossible. A more realistic approach, therefore, is to adopt effective coping solutions to reduce stress at your current job. Aisha Karemera, a marketing officer, points out unclear roles and tasks for employees as one of the most common factors for job burnout. She believes that when one doesn’t know exactly what is expected of them, they are not mentally prepared for these tasks and can easily become extremely stressed. “If one is good at what they do, they need to set boundaries within their required roles. Multitasking, though considered a fantastic way to maximise time and get more work done in a day splitting focus, doesn’t work well for most people. Instead of multitasking to stay on top of your tasks, try focusing on your tasks and getting them done little by little. Besides reducing stress, work will be more productive,” she says. Esther Kabageni, a mother and businesswoman, also points out that how you start your morning can affect your mood at work. “It can be surprising how the workplace can be stressful when you have just had a stressful morning. Getting the children ready for school and feeding them to running home errands, many people arrive to work already stressed. This makes it easy to react to stress in the workplace, especially if you have to deal with different clients. “When you start off the day with planning and a positive attitude, however, you might find that the stress of your job can be easily rolled down,” she says. She adds that while perfectionism has some positive benefits, it can also be highly stressful and lead to burnout. She suggests being present and focusing on the effort put into given tasks, as opposed to concentrating on failure when you make a mistake. “It helps to take a step back and reflect on your accomplishments than working extra hours to complete a task. Reminding yourself that you are doing your best will help you avoid the stress of perfecting everything,” Kabageni says. For Norman Kagabo, a social worker, keeping in touch with trusted friends and family members to ease stressful work situations can also be helpful. “Having people you can rely on during tough times can reduce some of the built-up tension. If you’re struggling with challenging roles, try asking friends if they can help out with some errands,” she says.
