You can develop stress in any job, even if you love what you do. Deadlines, presentations, and big projects are full of stressors. Practicing fun ways to relieve stress at work can just slip your mind.
A buildup of stress can have negative effects, such as fatigue and sleep disturbances or lack of motivation and anxiety.
Whether you’re an employer looking for motivational tools or an employee looking for positive ways to de-stress, here are some strategies for managing stress in the workplace.
Fun Ways to Relieve Stress at Work
The Best Fun Ways to Relieve Stress at Work
Listen to Music
A study by Sheffield University found that listening to music in an office-based working environment led to workers having a more positive mood, which is believed to improve work performance.
So grab your headphones, pull out your favorite playlist, and use music as one of your fun stress relief activities at work.
Talk to Friends at Work
Positive relationships at work are so important. Even if they can’t solve your problems, the simple act of talking about your stress with someone you trust can actually reduce the severity – or clear it up altogether.
Studies find that social support at work is associated with lower blood pressure during the working day.
Leave the Office for Lunch
Getting out of the office, away from the stress at work, and into a totally different environment clears your mind and helps you change perspective.
This change in mindset might be all you need to clear the stress away and get back to the office ready to tackle some work.
Take a Walk
Exercise is a fantastic stress reliever that can work in minutes. Taking a walk also allows you to enjoy a change of scenery, which can get you into a different frame of mind, and brings the benefits of exercise as well.
Take a trip to a nearby dog park and enjoy some quality time with man’s best friend. Giving you double the stress-fighting potential.
Do Some Deep Breathing
When trying to relax your mind It’s all about deep breathing. Concentrate on relaxing your body from your head to your toes as you inhale and exhale. You could also try the 4-7-8 breathing exercise.
This breathing pattern is great for reducing anxiety, managing cravings and reducing anger responses.
You first inhale for 4-seconds and hold for 7-seconds. Then finally breath out the mouth and exhale for 8-seconds. Repeat up till 4 times, when needed.
Meditate for 5 Minutes
Simple meditation doesn’t take long at all and can help you control stress, improve relaxation and decrease anxiety.
Need step-by-step instruction on meditating alone, check our guide here. It’s short and simple, so you can start meditating in less than 5 minutes.
Looking for a meditation course, I recommend getting the “Master Your Mind Course“.
Look Through Happy Photos
Looking at images of loved ones and happier times is proven to help reduce stress and decrease anxiety.
Images can serve as a simple reminder that we’re loved and cared for, which then makes us feel safe.
You can also try looking at images of great sceneries, cute animals, the ocean, and even architectural patterns.
Take Your Work Outside
With activities like forest bathing on the rise, it’s clear that humans benefit from being outdoors.
Being surrounded by nature and in sunlight can improve vitamin D levels, help with concentration and prevent illnesses, both long and short term.
This can be one of those fun stress relief activities at work, especially for anyone who is cooped up in an office all day.
Joke Around for 20 Minutes
laughter is the best medicine. A good chuckle stimulates circulation and soothes tension in your body. Laughter is also known to reduce levels of stress hormones such as cortisol.
So grab a buddy tell silly dad jokes and have a few laughs. By far one of my favorite fun ways to relieve stress at work.
Diversify Your Snacks
Having something to look forward to throughout the workday can help to get your mind off of all the things that may be worrying you.
The right snack can also give your blood sugar a boost and improve your overall energy. Think dark chocolate, blueberries, and yogurt.
I personally love my snack times and make sure its part of my fun stress relief activities at work.
More Strategies for Managing Stress in the Workplace
Read Inspirational Quotes
Now reading quotes may seem like a simple thing, but how about a little decorative that also works as a source for inspiration.
Primitives by Kathy Words of Wisdom is a small wooden box with short amazing quotes. If you love quotes and small wooden boxes this is a perfect office item for you.
Not only you but co-workers will look forward to your daily quotes.
Use a Program
I know for a lot of people, including myself, we try to take on either too much or everything alone. The same can be said about managing our stress and anxiety.
I bet most of us try to figure out online how to best fight our increasing stress and anxiety levels, and sometimes we succeed but more times than not we don’t.
Even I who does research on stress and anxiety on a daily needs help, I’m by far no expert and even if I was new information is always found.
So always seek out help from an expert in their field, one of those experts I highly suggest listening to is Barry McDonough.
He is the creator of the Panic Away program, and let me just tell you that its the cheapest and simplest program out there.
His program has helped hundreds of thousands of his students completely live free from anxiety and stress. So have a leap of faith and try it today.
Read Self-Help Books
Like I said before getting help from those experts in the field of stress, anxiety, and depression is gonna be one of the most beneficial things you can do.
One way you can easily get help from these experts is through their self-help books.
I already talked about Barry McDonough’s Panic Away program, But there are others like Charlie Hoehn, Claire Weekes, and even Dominee over at BlessingManifest.
Charlie Hoehn is the author of “Play It Away: A Workaholic’s Cure for Anxiety“. He has even been invited to speak at TED talks for his amazing work.
Claire Weekes, also an author, has “Self Help for Your Nerves“. This is one of the most comprehensive self-help books for anxiety, so much so some people regard it as their anxiety-free bible.
And Dominee has created countless self-help workbooks, planners and sheets. Her own experiences dealing with anxiety and stress have given her the knowledge to understand what many of us go through.
With that personal experience, she was able to create cute but powerful self-help worksheets that are not only cheap but very easy to use.
Rub a Drop of Lavender Oil
The aroma of lavender is famously known for its relaxing properties. Rub some on your wrist, close your eyes, hold your wrist up close to your nose and inhale deeply.
Picture yourself in a field of lavender in Provence France, the purple stalks waving in the breeze.
If you love DIY check out our Peace & Calming Essential Oil Recipe.
Eat Peppermint Chocolate
Treat yourself now and again to some peppermint chocolate—particularly dark chocolate. The chocolate itself is stress relieving, the peppermint provides a burst of minty energy.
While the tiny sugar rush might be just enough to get you over the hump.
York peppermint chocolates are my favorite, and one of my favorite fun ways to relieve stress at work. Highly recommend to add to your strategies for managing stress in the workplace.
Make a Cup of Tea
Pour a cup of boiling water over a handful of chamomile leaves or a chamomile tea bag. The herbal mix, long known for its gentle, soothing properties, will help to de-stress and center you.
For the best results, drink one to two cups of chamomile tea daily or when feeling stressed out.
Check out our top picks for best rooibos tea here, rooibos tea has amazing benefits and stress-relieving properties.
Or better yet, check out our amazing post on using green tea to actually help you cure anxiety and stress. Talk about benefits! Click the button below!
Get Some Stress Fighting Gummies
How about something tasty and stress relieving? Such a thing can’t exist, besides dark chocolate.
Well, I’m here to prove you wrong, these little gummies here were made with both taste and stress relieve in mind.
I recently reviewed Olly’s Goodbye Stress Gummies, and they are amazingly tasty and surprisingly good at helping with stress.
They have 3 stress-fighting ingredients, GABA, L-theanine, and lemon balm. You can read our review and about these ingredients here.
Get a Desk Diffuser
Aromatherapy has real benefits for stress relief—it can help you to feel energized, more relaxed, or more present in the moment.
One of the best fun ways to relieve stress at work in my opinion. Nothing beats the effects of a good essential oil blend.
Again check out our post, Peace & Calming Essential Oil Recipe, this is one of the best essential oil blends.
The best diffuser for the office space, in my opinion, is the VicTsing 3rd Version Aromatherapy Diffusers.
Grow a Small Tree
Nature is so beautiful and relaxing, not only for the mind but the soul as well. But working in a downtown office with nearly nothing resembling “nature” can be disappointing.
So why not bring nature to your desk? One of the best ways to do this is by growing a Bonsai tree.
Now I know some can be intimidated by gardening without experience, but growing one can be an amazingly rewarding experience.
I recommend starting with a “Ficus Bonsai” as they are beginner-friendly.
Do some Stretches or Yoga if you Can
Yoga combines physical movement, meditation, light exercise, and controlled breathing—all of which provide excellent stress relief.
I recommend checking out Yoga Burn, one of the best yoga online classes I’ve seen. Its part of my own strategies for managing stress in the workplace!
Get Supplements
In some cases, supplements may be a great tool to support you in times of extreme anxiety and stress.
Sadly supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so always do careful research.
You can also check out our top 10 natural stress and anxiety supplements, all of the supplements here are Safe, and All-Natural so you can shop with confidence.