Do you have work-related stress? Stress is closely linked to poor communication. Stressed people may find it more difficult to interact effectively with co-workers, friends, and family. They may become tired and frustrated, restricting their capacity to communicate their thoughts and feelings to others. They may also misunderstand others’ words and behaviours, resulting in interpersonal conflict. This article aims to share some communication methods for dealing with work-related stress.
Be more self-aware
Self-awareness is an excellent point to start when it comes to dealing with stress. It is simpler to communicate your preferences (both physical and mental) to others when you are clear about them. Understand your preferences. How much workload can you handle? How much time per day or week are you willing to spend at work? What kinds of tasks do you think you’ll need additional help with? How comfortable are you if a supervisor or co-worker approaches you outside of work hours regarding work-related matters? Communicate your preferences clearly.
Take note of your boundaries
Boundaries are important in establishing an effective work environment. What irritates you the most? Overwork, ambiguous directions, micromanagement, engaging with particular co-workers, perceived injustice, and last-minute changes are all examples. What about these circumstances that bothers you? What effect do these triggers have on you? What else influences you and your mood?
Communicate effectively
Avoid communicating in an aggressive manner. It might be deemed as angry, rude or hostile to your co-workers. Allow room for negotiation to increase the acceptance of ideas amongst your co-workers. Be more open to opinions from others. You would want to create trust amongst your colleagues and build professional relationships with them.
You can be assertive by talking in a way that is clear, direct, confident, and considerate of the needs of others. It could entail articulating your point of view clearly and calmly, respectfully disagreeing with others’ points of view, and saying “no” in a comfortable and kind manner.
Seek help from third parties
Engage Employee Assistance Program (EAP) providers or counsellors who are experts in this field. They are well-versed in such areas and would be the right person to provide the best advice for work-related issues. They can even be the facilitators for better communication amongst employees through lunch-and-learn or workshops. A good example of an EAP provider would be Aventis Wellness which provides such services at affordable prices.
Effective communication can aid in the management of work-related stress, so work on it today!