8 Ways to Remain Calm in a Stressful Work Environment

8 Ways to Remain Calm in a Stressful Work Environment

Two things – one, calm does not mean boring and two, calm doesn’t mean mindless.

 

It’s easy to lose yourself in a corporate setting. The world of programmers or typical 9-to-5ers are fast-paced, noisy, and downright exhausting. Aside from endless tasks, your rude boss or that attention-seeking coworker may also cause you headaches, sometimes, more than the task itself. In a situation like this, it can be a difficult challenge to calm down. 

 

Minding petty things is usually frowned upon. However, there are times when it might be hard to control it especially when the petty things start to involve you. Majority of your time is spent at work and if the environment is toxic, it can take a toll on your personal life. 

 

How do you become a calm programmer despite the hectic schedule and a stressful workplace?

 

  1. Prioritize Your Personal Life

    Sure you need to earn a living but that doesn’t mean that your life should revolve around it. Simply put: your job is a means of making a living to support your desires. The advantage of having this mindset is that you will have something to look forward each day.  Have an active life outside of work and you will feel more energized and more fulfilled without even knowing it.

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  3. Close Your Mouth

    While venting helps, making it a habit doesn’t. It may be that your friend or partner may only be pretending to listen to you so as not to offend you. Sooner or later, they will get tired of hearing your complaints and avoid you. Excessive talking can prevent you from understanding and learning more about people or situations. Make sure that when you talk, it would be dominated by positive and energy-producing words. 

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  5. Take Body Signals Seriously

    Our body often sends us signal when something wrong is going on with our lives. These signals may come in the form of migraines, or restlessness, or heartache. It’s time you pay attention to these signs from the universe. As adults, we’re used to bearing small discomfort so as not to be labeled as “childish”  not knowing that something truly is not right. If you’re experiencing this, it’s time to listen and get to the root of it before it becomes something destructive.

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  7. Start Being Selfish

    If we focus too much on the accomplishments or fault in others, we lose our focus on our own lives. Comparing yourself to others, whether through arrogance or low self-esteem, robs you of time to improve your own self. It’s time to be selfish. And by selfish, it means loving yourself enough to not care about how your colleague purchased a new car or your lunch buddy wears expensive clothes to work every day. The main reason why you should be selfish on who to invest your energy in is that these people you’re stressing about may not even actually be thinking about you. Annoying people are always present anywhere but they might not even care about you, so why should you? When something doesn’t feel right, walk away.

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  9. Realize that No One is Your Boss

    You may have someone managing your performance at work, but there is no such person as the boss of your life. Whenever you don’t feel like doing something, don’t do it. Learn to say no without explanations. As long as you perform well at work and do not cause trouble, there’s no reason why you owe your time to others. You may lose friends in the process but those who remain are the genuine ones, so basically you’re doing yourself a favor. Remember that you do not owe an explanation to anybody as long as what you’re doing doesn’t hurt others.

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  11. Don’t Take Things Seriously

    Easier said than done but it’s helpful. It is when we worry about things too much that we lose sight of what really matters. You don’t have control over the behavior of others so you can either control how to react or do not react all all. Sometimes the latter feels much better. Whenever a boss insults you or a coworker does nothing good except for gossip, it is not your fault. Their actions are mainly a reflection of what they are inside so let them be. You can always turn to human resources or the law when things turn out ugly.

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  13. Maintain a Happy Lifestyle

    Focus all your energy on being happy that you unconsciously ignore toxic noises in the background. Break boring routines and start going on spontaneous adventures. Even as simple as looking forward to binge-watching a new Netflix series when you get home or maybe good ole knitting can do wonders to your mental health. Be mindful when it comes to big decisions but don’t forget to do random things that brings you joy.

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  15. Filter What Enters Your Mind

    Even just reading negative news can become the beginning of a domino of negative emotions. As much as possible, be selective on what you read, what you watch, who you talk to, or what you think. Thinking about one unpleasant thought might seem harmless at first but it will always be at the end when you’ve realized that it has already become a monster.

 

A programmer’s life is never easy – only if you focus on it. But if you think about it, there’s much more to life than sitting on a desk in front of a computer the entire day. Make sure you do a job that you enjoy and focus more on what you do outside of your day job.

 

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