Five ways to destress in a stress-inducing industry

Every industry has stress factors, and public relations isn’t immune to this problem. In fact, public relations is ranked as one of the most stressful industries to work in! This can be attributed to the competitive, creative, deadline driven nature of the work. Here are a few tips on how to make a stressful job a little more bearable.

Touch base internally on your stress

Lack of communication can increase stress within a workplace. Make a point to touch base with those on your team so you can manage the workload, figure out what to expect in the coming week, and prioritize your tasks.

Write everything down

With countless deadlines, names, and bits of information floating around, set yourself up for success by simply writing down pertinent details or tasks that need to get done. Whether you go through these notes at the end of every day or once a week, you’ll never have to worry about forgetting something. Having a trusty planner (Erin Condren is always a good choice for organization) or an online tracking system such as Monday.com are easy ways to stay on top of your work.

Go out for lunch

And by go out, we don’t mean you necessarily have to go out to eat. The most important thing is to step outside of the office, get some fresh air and give your mind a short break. Studies show that you are more productive when you take short breaks between projects. Whether it is leaving for lunch, taking a five-minute walk down the hall or to grab coffee, giving your mind the space to reset can aid your focus and memory. Jumping from one project to the next can tire you out and lower the quality of work.

Create space to get the little things done

Block out half an hour to get some of the little things done. When you’re fighting to meet deadlines and finish projects, sometimes the small tasks can start to pile up. These can grow into a mountain, and may make you feel overwhelmed. Giving yourself a few minutes at the beginning or the end of every day to get these things done can make your stress-levels drop and help you to focus more on the larger projects at hand.

Don’t stress over work outside of work

Make sure to disconnect a little when you’re not at work so you don’t get burnt out. If you find yourself frequently checking your work email, responding past hours or working on things that could realistically wait until the morning, you may need to take a little break. Your weekends are for you to disconnect and relax, so prioritize yourself on the days off. You should use the time off to get rest so you’ll be more focused, productive and calmer throughout the work week.