Want Less Work Stress? Here’s How...

28 May

Written By Marco Augusto

Want Less Work Stress?

Here’s How...

It’s a standard Sunday night. You’re watching the TV, relaxing, trying not to think about the elephant in the room.

You know, that same elephant that pops into your head every Sunday.

The “work” elephant.

That sense of dread that comes over you, as you realise you need to face another week of work tomorrow.

The weekends are never long enough you say.

You tell yourself to be positive. You tell yourself that you’re lucky to have a job.

It’s a great attitude to have actually, but it doesn’t change the fact that come tomorrow, work is the last place you want to be.

And you know like always, that feeling of stress and overwhelm will slowly grow as the week progresses, and then you’ll spend next weekend trying to unwind again.

That anxiety you’re feeling, is common among a lot of people.

Even if you love your job, it’s still there. An ever growing stress that slowly builds up over weeks and months of work.

Friday’s are a feeling of relief the week is over, and Sunday nights are a feeling of stress and anxiety at the impending work week.

And the cycle repeats, only broken when you take your 4 weeks of holiday for the year.

But when you get back, that cycle starts all over again....

You see, stress in our work isn’t going away anytime soon.

In fact, doing a job you love might even produce more stress, because you’re so tied to the result.

So, the problem isn’t so much the stress that builds up over each work week and month.

It's Here to Stay

The problem is our ability to manage the stress.

For many of us, the “forget-about-the-work-week” method of dealing with stress each weekend, doesn’t help us deal with the stress very well.

It’s always there in the back of our mind.

And we can never fully relax as a result.

Think about it: 5 days of stress to 2 days of relaxing.

The numbers are stacked against your mental health, even with your 4 weeks of annual leave each year.

Added to that the fact that some of the ways we try to relieve the stress actually makes things worse.

Binge drinking and eating poor food stresses the body as it tries to process everything.

Binge watching tv makes us feel unproductive and leaves us feeling wired from so much stimulation.

Both of them combined (or even just one of them) gives us restless sleep, leaving us feeling just as tired as during the week and the stress cycle begins again.

And then, when that Sunday rolls around again, stress and anxiety levels can be even higher than Friday evening!

And since you can’t unwind 100% each weekend, you’re never fully present with the ones you love.

Or you try to be present by drinking a little too much.

Either way, not dealing with the stress can affect us long term, mentally and in our relationships.

Again, you’re not going to get rid of stress. In fact, it’s necessary to perform at your best.

What we need to get better at, is managing our stress.

Simple Works

I remember working those long hours when I was in my Engineering job.

When you “cut some of the fat” to win jobs against other engineering companies, you sometimes have to do a little extra unpaid work.

But I had a not so secret weapon under my belt.

I invested.

Not in property, not in the share market.

In myself. In my health. It my mind.

I would spend that 60 to 90 minutes in the gym each day just focusing on myself. Focusing on improving slowly, focusing on the things that are most important to us. Health.

In fact, I would invest thousands during my engineering career on programs and knowledge. Anything that would help me progress in my health.

Why?

Well the obvious reasons of course, like exercise releases those endorphins, making you feel awesome.

But it was also about taking control of something important and focusing on one thing for a period of time.

You can imagine how that easily spills into the other areas of your life.

What I realised here at PEAK Strength & Nutrition, was that yes, people want to look great, but the training helped them perform so much better at work, by helping them manage their stress.

The way we coach here is all about the principles. Focusing on the things that work and get results.

Focusing on strength. Focusing on muscle size/tone. Focusing on conditioning/fitness. Focusing on movement patterns that help you feel great, look great and keep you injury free.

Focusing on nutrition habits instead of diets or counting calories.

You see, when you always progress with your training and your health, that sense of improvement, control and empowerment spill into the other areas of your life.

It helps you manage that stress each day, instead of waiting for the weekend and hoping to unwind enough to face the next work week.

From Chaos to Order

Matt is a great example of this. He would get stressed from work because he was involved heavily in the safety of the workplace. In heavy industry, you can imagine the stresses associated with that, especially with shift work!

But he trains with us regularly. Stress in managed.

He’s even chasing his passion in nutrition, while renovating a new place and looking after his family!!

Or Tania, who finished up her contract at work and was living off her savings for two months. She kept training because she needed it to help her stress.

Imagine being able to manage the stress from work much more easily. Not removing it completely, but just being comfortable with it. Knowing you can handle it.

And then without the stress, just being able to be present when you are with your friends and family

Not drinking, eating or watching TV to feel relaxed, but just comfortable in the fact you have it covered and can relax completely with those close to you.

And just as awesome, genuinely being able to relax on the weekends and enjoy life more.

Oh and did I mention, you’ll look better as well? That’s always an awesome benefit of training ;)

If you’re interested in how you can make quick, principle based changes to your health, click the link below and download the free guide explaining 3 Things You Can Do Today to Feel Healthier