Reducing your stress at work

Christine Kuhn, 27. 11. 2020

Stress in the workplace is a key issue when it comes to health. A recent report published by Health Promotion Switzerland found that over 29% of Swiss workers suffer from "critical stress" and that almost a third of the workforce (28.7%) is emotionally exhausted. The number of sick days taken by people in Switzerland due to stress and other mental health problems has increased by 35 percent over the last five years. Work-related stress costs employers around CHF 7.6 billion per year.

What can you do about it?

One way to reduce both the effects of stress and the stress itself is to exercise mindfulness. Mindfulness can be described as a clear and non-judgmental perception of what is happening in each moment. It enables us to perceive body sensations, thoughts and feelings, whether pleasant, unpleasant or neutral, and to accept them as they are. Through this we learn to recognise how our thoughts function and thus also our habitual ways of reacting. The practice of mindfulness therefore enables us to find inner peace, acceptance and clarity even in turbulent life circumstances.

What are your sources of stress?

• Which situations cause stress for you?
• Which thoughts trigger stress in you?
• Which behaviours contribute to your daily stress?

You can reduce stress with the following exercises:

• (short) Meditation
• Simple breathing exercises at your desk (e.g. Three Breaths Exercise)
• Short walk (e.g. during the lunch break)
• Physical Exercises

If you would like to learn more about how you can reduce stress at work, please contact me for a coaching, training or a presentation at your company.

I wish you a beautiful and stress-free autumn,

Christine Kuhn