Edel Walsh outlines the techniques you can use to destress at work, safeguard your well-being and boost productivity

Stress is how our body reacts when we feel under pressure or threatened, usually when in a situation that we don’t feel we can manage or control.

Finance professionals have been facing a growing amount of pressure in recent years, and while many will say that stress comes with the territory (they’re not wrong), there are both healthy and unhealthy amounts of stress one should endure.

In fact, stress in the short term is not harmful. However, chronic stress can have a major impact on both our physical and mental health and can easily lead to burnout.

Our stress system 

When your body is reacting to a stressor, your fight, flight or freeze (FFF) response is activated. 

The FFF triggers the release of hormones that prepare your body to either stay and deal with a threat (fight), run away to safety (flight) or just stop in your tracks all together (freeze). 

The FFF response was very useful to us thousands of years ago when we lived in caves and were fighting off predators such as wild animals. Nowadays, our FFF response can be activated by our email inbox, boss or a too-big workload. 

Managing your FFF response

The first step in managing your FFF response is asking yourself a few questions:

• Why are you reacting this way to the stressor?
• What is within your control?
• If the situation is outside of your control, can you let it go?
• Who can help you cope if needed?

Once you’ve answered these questions for yourself, take a moment to observe your surroundings. In your head, take note of three visuals, three sounds and three feelings or sensations.

When you tap into your surroundings, you can begin to relax. 

Next, if needed, give yourself the freedom to walk away from the stressor until you are better able to handle it. 

If you are in a conflict with someone in the workplace, for example, you can walk away from the situation – even if it only for five minutes.

This doesn’t mean you are ignoring the situation. You are giving yourself at least five minutes to remove yourself from the confrontation to deal with the building emotions before they get out of hand.

Finally, it’s important to do some deep breathing.

The key to deep breathing is to practise it daily. If you wanted to build up muscle in your arms, you would go to the gym and train. Deep breathing is the same. It needs to be practised so when you do get into those tricky situations your body knows what to do to calm you down.  

Practising stress relief

Practising stress relief techniques in the workplace is paramount in today’s high-pressure professional environment. The modern workplace is often characterised by tight deadlines, demanding projects and a constant need to stay connected and productive.

The benefits of practising stress relief techniques extend to the overall productivity and efficiency of the organisation as well. When you have the tools to manage stress, you can maintain focus, leading to better decision-making and problem-solving in and out of the office.

These stress relief techniques can re-energise you, help avoid burnout and maintain a consistent level of performance.

In the long term, this not only enhances the quality of work but also reduces the risk of workplace conflicts.

Integrating stress relief practices, like deep breathing, into your daily routine is not merely a matter of your well-being; it is a strategic investment that can significantly contribute to your success and competitive advantage.

Edel Walsh is a talent and leadership coach at Edelwalsh.ie