You’d be hard-pressed to find a member of the workforce who doesn’t experience some degree of job-related stress. However, when job stress comes to dominate every aspect of your life, it’s time to make some changes. So, if you feel stuck in a job that’s overly demanding, excessively difficult or outright abusive, there’s no time like the present to start practicing self-care. People who are constantly under siege from work-induced stress would do well to heed the following pointers. Especially those including weed.
Refuse to Put in Unpaid Overtime
Your time is valuable, regardless of whether or not your employer chooses to acknowledge that. Unfortunately, a staggering number of employers have zero qualms about infringing on the personal time of employees. The way these companies see it, workers exist solely for the advancement of their financial bottom line. As such, a large percentage of the workforce is expected to accept unpaid overtime as an inescapable fact of life. This results in employees who remain on call, answer work emails and plug away on assorted projects well into the night.
Furthermore, a lot of employers dance around this issue by claiming they don’t actually require employees to put in overtime. However, if you’re saddled with such enormous workloads that putting in unpaid overtime is the only way to feasibly meet your deadlines, your bosses need to amend their expectations. So, if you’re consistently given more work than you can reasonably finish within the allotted timeframes, make it known that you’re not okay with this. There’s a chance your bosses don’t even realize you’re being overworked.
While it’s easy to see why so many employers are completely fine with this arrangement, workers who value their free time should push back against it at every opportunity. If your employer expects you to devote your well-earned personal time to work-related matters, they need to make sure you’re generously compensated.
Keep Your Work Hours Consistent
In addition to refusing to work unpaid overtime, make a point of keeping your work hours consistent. In short, each workday should begin and end at preset times. This will also add a sense of structure to the work experience, which can make even the most stressful job seem considerably more manageable. If you’re used to wildly inconsistent work hours, keeping a more structured schedule is liable to prove a bit challenging at first. However, after several weeks of sticking to your new routine, you should start feeling the benefits of set work hours.
Work from Home
Due in no small part to the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home has become increasingly popular throughout 2020 and 2021. Because of the mortal threat presented by the novel coronavirus, many companies that once disparaged remote work were suddenly fully on board with it. Unsurprisingly, a sizable number of workers found operating from home to be far less stressful than reporting to a formal workplace. Not having to get up at uncomfortably early hours, needlessly dress up and brave congested commutes made the work experience far more bearable.
So, if the various stressors associated with office life have become too much for you, request that you be allowed to work remotely. Should the relevant parties prove unreceptive to this request, speak to a physician and/or mental health professional about writing you a recommendation.
Enjoy Relaxing Hobbies
Indulging in relaxing hobbies can be a great way to de-stress and recharge your batteries at the end of a grueling workday. Pastimes that involve meditation and deep breathing exercises can prove particularly conducive to inner calm. Additionally, various CBD products can help soothe a stressed mind and leave you feeling fully relaxed. So, if you’re in the market for drops, creams or any other variety of CBD product, don’t hesitate to seek out a highly-rated CBD store.
There’s little wonder as to why job stress is so abundant. Many members of the workforce feel consistently overworked, mistreated and taken for granted by their employers and coworkers. This isn’t helped by the fact that we, as a culture, celebrate overwork and regard people working themselves to exhaustion as a given. Unsurprisingly, this type of environment is highly conducive to stress, as well as a plethora of other mental health issues. So, if work-related stress has become overwhelming, don’t hesitate to put the self-care tips discussed above to good use.