As an Executive Assistant or Virtual Executive Assistant, you carry a heavy workload for your clients and bear a great deal of responsibility. This can make you feel stressed, overwhelmed, or exhausted at some times, and your work-life balance and emotional health may suffer.
This post will look at common stress factors for Executive/Virtual Assistants and how we can manage them. The following post is not substituting professional medical advice. I urge you to always consult with your doctor/ medical professional when you feel stressed and overwhelmed.
What is stress?
Stress is a natural response of the body to stressful situations. This can be caused by external impacts such as heavy workloads, conflicting demands, unclear expectations, tight deadlines, and your physical workspace. Internal factors like poor sleep quality, lacking physical activity, negative attitude, unhealthy diet, and other personal problems.
The body reacts to stress by releasing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones prime the body for the “flight or fight” response and may produce a short-term performance-enhancing effect. However, these performance-enhancing effects do not last long and, eventually, can lead to long-term stress, like physical and psychological disorders, such as headaches, sleep disorders, weakened immune systems, chronic stress, or even depression.
How to successfully manage stress?
Avoid Work overload
One of the most important ways to manage stress is to avoid overworking yourself. Try to be realistic about your tasks and don’t take on too much. Setting priorities and taking regular breaks for fresh air are important factors in managing work stress. I can always tell that I am overloaded when I sit at my desk and stare at the screens and can’t focus. This signals me to take a step back and find something relaxing to do.
Practice relaxation techniques
Various relaxation techniques can help you to relieve stress and relax. These include progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, going on regular walks, and other hobbies to promote physical and mental health. Talking to your family members and friends about your stress at work and doing regular deep breathing exercises may also help.
Keep a stress journal.
Keeping a stress diary can help you identify the reasons for your stress and take targeted action against them. Take daily notes of when you felt stressed and what the triggers were. This way, you can perhaps identify the main stressor and try to avoid them as much as possible. However, always seeks professional help if you cannot identify the causes of your stress or if it becomes overwhelming because it can also be a medical issue or other not easy detectable factors.
Maintain Social contacts
Social contacts and active social life can help reduce stress and improve well-being. Seek support and help from friends, family, and life coaches, and make sure to nurture your relationships. Being part of a team can also help reduce stress and improve your overall well-being because you can exchange and talk about your stressors and seek help by working through them together. It is important not to put work in the first place of your existence. Work is certainly important, but there needs to be a healthy balance.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle.
A healthy lifestyle and relaxing home life can help reduce and combat stress. A few minutes a day of deep breathing, going on walks, eating a balanced diet, sports, and other exercises will support a strong immune system and can help you when you feel overwhelmed. Make sure you regularly visit your doctor for support, and don’t forget to get enough sleep at night.
Use a life coach to support you
Coaching can be a valuable support when dealing with stress. A coach can help you identify the causes of your stress and can take targeted action against them. They can also help you adopt new perspectives and develop new techniques to solve problems. Coaching has become more and more available in the last couple of years, and many people have benefited from them. Personal development is the best investment you can spend your time and money on because your well-being and health are invaluable.
This post was all about how to deal with work stress. Whether you are a Virtual Assistant working from home or in an Office environment, work stress can happen, and it’s important not to ignore it.
Sources:Stressbewältigung für Führungskräfte: Tipps und Tricks – Couchingtrip.de
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