Stress management has become a major concern for many. Here we take the help of Dr. Venkatesh BabuG M, Consultant Psychiatrist, Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences at the Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore, to figure out ways to score a perfect work-life balance and ways to manage work stress and keep it off your personal life.

A mental or bodily unrest caused by any physical, chemical or emotional factor is termed stress. It not only affects our mood but our physical health as well. While eliminating stress from our life seems almost impossible, dealing with it is, however, more realistic when proper strategies are inculcated. These set of strategies or techniques are well described as stress management.

Stress Management helps in bringing changes in our life if we are going through a constant stressful situation by controlling a person’s level of stress for maintaining everyday functioning. It helps in reducing blood pressure, heart disease, digestive problems or any other physical ailments.

Effects of Stress:

There are numerous physical and emotional disorders caused by stress. Depression, anxiety, heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, immune system disturbances that increase susceptibility to infections, a host of viral linked disorders ranging from the common cold and herpes to AIDS and certain cancers, as well as autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. In addition, stress can have direct effects on the skin and can contribute to insomnia and degenerative neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease.

The side effect of stress causes the tension to prevail even after getting back from the workplace. However a psychological detachment is necessary to make a mental break from the job

How to switch off job stress at home?

• The best way to avoid stress is to stop bringing work at home. Leave the work in the office and only bring it home in exceptional cases. Working in a specified workplace helps in giving an incentive to work as efficiently as possible.
• Develop good mobile habits that keeps your tablets and phones from tethering you to work. Keep the device away in the night and try not to check the mails an hour to two prior going to bed as it can negatively impact your brain from preparing you to sleep.
• Develop a support network of friends and family who can help you manage your professional stress and prevent you from being burdened.
• Try and adapt to rituals like exercising, running, meditating or listening to music that can help you detach from the work and the baggage that has developed throughout the day.
• Create a third space for yourself ‘Me time’ for taking a time off for yourself avoiding any kinds of responsibilities for maintaining our sense of peace.

After a long day at work, we tend to bring the work stress home, taking it out on our family members allowing it to become home stress at the expense of our relationships and health. Stress management can help keep our professional life away from home. Adapting to the above-mentioned techniques can help segregate work with personal space thereby maintaining peace and to keep ourselves away from various diseases.