How to Navigate Workplace Challenges in the Most Effective Way

Do you have these moments when you don’t really feel yourself, and even if you convince yourself otherwise, you just can’t be okay. I had those moments, and it even affected my work too; and after years of trying out so many techniques, I finally found my go-to solutions for this dilemma, which I am now sharing with you. Let’s start.

Opening yourself to others about what you feel is still the best solution.

Sure, it is so cliché, but you know what this works wonders even to this day. Just a simple, “hey, do you have time to talk?” goes a long way than suffering in silence, blaming yourself. Trust me when I say this, there are moments when we randomly feel so alone, even though we aren’t—we got the best circle of friends, family, and even our special someone’s—yet you just feel alone. Well, truth be told, it’s not the case, it’s just your brain telling you that you are, like a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is more than proven that when we share what we feel with others, the things that we feel burdening us gets lighter; this is foolproof. During those times when I am not feeling myself, I tap a friend, a family member, or even my special someone, be vulnerable and just let it all flow; and you know what, after some time, I start feeling good.

Don’t force yourself to focus when you really just can’t.

Imagine convincing yourself that you can do a certain thing, but you just lack the willpower to do so. It’s stressful and eventually can give you burnouts. Who says you need to sit for hours on end in front of something that you should be doing, without the proper mindset, and come out successful. That’s hard, and while some win in this aspect, it’s not a cup of tea for everyone. Every single one of us has their own processes of doing this—something may work for you but won’t with others—it’s just how life goes.

But during these times, I try to do minimal focus—I rest from time-to-time making sure that I am still making progress, though small ones, as long as I don’t put strain on myself too much. This is the time that I discovered something that changed how I do things in life. Are you familiar with Pomodoro? And no, it’s not a tomato (in Italian language). It’s this time management tool that you can use where you break down your focus times in specific blocks separated by breaks in between. For example, you’ll focus for 25 minutes and then take a five-minute break. Personally, I do 50-minute focus and a 10-minute break—and I know this time block is a lot but this works for me. I wouldn’t recommend this if you think this is still pretty overwhelming, the 25-5 Pomodoro might just be the trick to destressing your working environment.

Take a break, simple as that.

Apart from opening yourself to others, another fail-safe solution is to just take a break. It’s not also about traveling somewhere or planning a getaway to escape your daily woes—it’s just pausing for a moment. Simply taking a mental health break for a day makes a whole new difference; trust me, I know. I have been doing this for some time now and it really makes it better when I get back to continue where I left off. Taking a break is simply the most powerful thing you can do to refuel your energy and reset your mind.

A day off could also be the perfect antidote, specifically if you have pushed through with your tasks for an entire week or if you have been stressed with just about anything. You could do this by simply stepping away from digital stuff and just focus on yourself. Rekindling former hobbies, like reading, that once brought you joy is also a sure way to take a break. But this definitely varies for everyone—one may find peace with watching movies at your local cinema, cooking a recipe you found online, enjoying a hot bath (complete with scented candles around), or just sleeping. Whatever it is that you think will rejuvenate yourself, go for it—this should also not be limited to just one—combine them if you want.

I’ve learned this the hard way that a stressed mind will always spiral itself way out of its place. That’s why taking breaks from time-to-time makes it better for you. Always remember that a rested mind is critical to achieving a productive and creative workday, whatever industry you are in.

Learn more and go out of your comfort zone.

This next one may actually require you to put work to navigate workplace challenges, but learning more actually reduces work stress. Okay, bear with me, if at first that didn’t make sense. There may be times when you feel like your job is second nature to you, yet if you improve on your skills further, you’ll observe how you feel at home (and more) with your tasks. The complexity of the tasks you are handling prior to learning more about your work will be as easy as A-B-C for you.

But don’t just go all out and then begin stressing yourself, you can always start small. You don’t need to improve on yourself overnight and seek instant success—it’s all about the process—and believe me in a few months, you’ll see how far you went from that small step in the beginning.

If there is a webinar or workshop that you have been interested in for a long time now, maybe it’s time to attend. Haven’t gotten a hang on how pivot tables work in sheets? Then, maybe try to look for tutorials and start learning it. Do you want to level up a specific skill set? Well, sign up for a course online (there are tons of them in the digital space). See what I mean? All of these improvements that you can make on your life lies on you—all you need to do is finally seize them.

Reorganize your workstation—a little tidying up or designing here and there is a good start.

Do you know that tidying up or reorganizing your work environment is key to a better mindset, and eventually an improved work environment. You’ll notice that even decluttering your workstation makes a big difference—a small plant, photos, or even a stack of colorful notepads will do. A clean and organized space has always been something that directly relates to how clear our minds can also be, well more than you might think. Since you are on your workstation for hours and hours on end, why not make it into something that inspires you and pushes you to do better. This is why my workstation is filled with photos and small plants as it definitely clears my mind whenever I pause—looking at them does wonders on my mental health for sure.

These are just some of the ways that I do to battle out workplace stress, and there can be many more. Try it out and see how it can definitely change something, may it be little or big, eventually affecting the entirety of your mental health—all for the better.