April is Stress Awareness Month.
How well-equipped is your team to handle stress? No matter how enjoyable jobs may be or wonderful personal lives are, stress still manages to creep its way in.
That’s why this month is an ideal time to remind workers of the damaging impact stress can have on their health. Helping workers keep their stress levels in check may help them avoid serious health issues like anxiety, depression, weight gain, and high blood pressure.
This post will share a variety of easy activities and resources employers can provide employees with throughout the month.
Read on to learn how to help your workers stress less.
What Happens When Workplace Stress is Too Much
Stress is no fun. While there’s good stress and bad stress, it’s the negative stress that can have a significant impact on health. Given that one in five Americans have a mental illness, any additional stressors can cause strife and upset personal and professional lives.
In the case of workplace stress, it can negatively impact workers’:
- Productivity
- Job performance
- Work engagement and communication
- Physical capability and daily functioning
The Department of Labor reports that too much stress can harm overall physical health and increase mental health issues. Work plays a large role in an individual’s stress — 83% of workers reported suffering from work-related stress while 54% reported workplace stress impacts their home life.
Excessive stress can also lead to death — the U.S. Department of Labor reported 120,000 people die annually due to workplace stress.
Simple Workplace Activities for Stress Awareness Month
Practicing stress relief techniques long before tough situations arise can make the activities more effective in the long run. Encourage your team to take 15 minutes each day to work on their favorite stress management techniques.
Here are some ways to encourage stress relief at work:
- Host a yoga instructor
- Have a dress-down day
- Let the team go home early
- Host an aromatherapy class
- Set up a silly office photo booth
- Have a bring your dog to work day
- Host a family BBQ day outdoors
- Take a walk as a team to a nearby park
- Have a DIY stress putty or dough workshop
- Raffle off a self-care, stress-relief activity basket
- Invite a massage therapist in for free employee chair massages
- Set up coloring books and colored pencils in the breakroom
The idea is to keep things simple. The easier it is to organize, plan, and execute the activity, the less stress on your team doing the activities! Keep it easy yet enjoyable.
Related: Free Guide to Stress Management in the Workplace
Share Resources to Help With Stress Management
It’s wise to have a variety of resources for your staff to access on topics like stress management and avoiding burnout. Whether you have them in a shared drive or folder, a physical library, or another resource center, make your team aware of the resources often.
Here are some options to share during Stress Awareness Month:
- Positivity Pack: 52 Inspirational Quotes (TotalWellness)
- I’m So Stressed Out! Fact Sheet (National Institute of Mental Health)
- Caring for Your Mental Health (National Institute of Mental Health)
- Five Tips to Turn Around a Stressful Day (Mental Health FIRST AID)
- 7 Steps to Manage Stress and Build Resilience (National Institute of Mental Health)
- 17 Stress Busters & Mini Challenges Worth Trying Out (TotalWellness)
Encourage your wellness committee to take the time to incorporate stress seminars and stress management workshops into your company’s wellness initiatives. Stress impacts the whole body and the better your employees understand how stress impacts them, the more likely they’ll be able to mitigate mental health breakdowns and burnout.
How do you help your team stress less? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
