Are you a fainting goat?

Are you one of these goats when you’re at work? Has the stress gotten you to the point of going stiff at the mere mention of your name out of your boss’ mouth? Here are five ways to avoid becoming stiff with stress while at work.

  1. Exercise. Seriously – it’s the simplest thing to ward off stress and depression and yet nobody seems to be doing it. So before or after you eat lunch everyday– go for a walk. It’s that simple. Go for a 15 or 30 minute walk during the day and watch how much your attitude changes for the better.
  2. Play. Yes play. Remember when you were a kid and going outside to play didn’t seem like a chore, it sounded like a dream come true? Well, it still is. So figure out what part of you still likes to play and lose yourself for a couple hours a week.
  3. Hit happy hour.  Ok, this sounds a little off beat – nobody’s saying to go out and get crazy 5 nights a week, but once in a while, find some people to meet for happy hour and just relax.  Have some laughs, ingest a few extra calories, play a game of trivia or pool and go home early. This little bit of social interaction will make a huge difference in your attitude. Just make sure that it doesn’t turn into a hangover and the next day at work is a nightmare. That would negate the whole purpose of happy hour in the first place.
  4. Write a “To-Do List” every day. No matter how ridiculous this sounds, recently it was found that people that write out a To-Do List everyday actually end up saving so much time it equates to 23 days a year. 23 EXTRA DAYS A YEAR – just from doing something as simple as writing down daily tasks!
  5. Pause. When you are about to mutter something passive aggressive under your breath or say something not-so-passive-aggressive and just go full bore aggression, press pause on the moment. This simple, tiny action will help diffuse many stressful situations.

At the end of the day, remember, work is just work. Have some fun, take some time for you, and see the humor in everyday situations. It will definitely help keep you healthy and happy without having to worry about suddenly going stiff.