8
EASY WAYS
TO RELIEVE
STRESS AT
WORK
(backedbyscience)

WORK
STRESSING YOU
OUT?
YOU'RE NOT
ALONE

80%
of employees
feel stress at
work

25%
say their job is the
most stressful
part of their lives

1/5
employees
have quit
because of job
stress

What Can
You Do To
Beat
Stress?

1 BUY AN INDOOR
PLANT
According to
multiple studies,
plants can:
Increase attentiveness
Boost productivity
Lower blood pressure
Lower anxiety
Give you a more positive
perception of your
workspace

2PROGRESSIVE
MUSCLE
RELAXATION
In one study of
progressive muscle
relaxation on student
athletes, this stress
management technique
was shown to help
regulate the players'
mood states.

3 LEAVE WORK
AT WORK
Indiana University’s
Kelley School of
Business study found
that people with high-
stress jobs with little
control over when they
work are more likely to
die sooner than people
with more work/life
balance

4TAKE A DEEP
BREATH
Studies have shown that
deep breathing calms your
body's stress response,
which makes it perfect for
high pressure situations
like the minutes leading up
to a big presentation.

5 TRY OFFICE
YOGA
A study from Frontiers
in Human Neuroscience
looked at the physical
and mental effects of a
three month yoga
retreat, and saw that
participants
experienced reduced
inflammation and
stress in their bodies.

6DRINK A CUP OF
TEA
In a 2007 study,
researches tested black
tea against a placebo for
six weeks, and concluded
the tea lead to lower
post-stress cortisol and
more relaxation.

7 DESK
MEDITATION
Neuroscientists
researched the effects
of meditation on the
brain over an eight
week period and saw
differences in brain
volume in five different
regions of the brain,
including the part
responsible for the
fight or flight response.

8GET A STRESS
CUBE
The cognitive load
hypothesis says that when
we're forced to deal with
complex problems or
thoughts (i.e. stressful
situations) we exert some
of that cognitive load into
movements like fidgeting.
As a result, we're able to
free up some of our mental
resources to focus on the
mental process and actually
think through what's going
on.

Want More Tips to
Manage Stress at
Work?
zensiders.com

RESOURCES
stress.org/workplace-stress/
psychologytoday.com/blog/urban-mindfulness/200903/plants-make-you-feel-
better
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3289204/
fastcompany.com/3064755/study-finds-work-life-balance-could-be-a-matter-
of-life-and-death
health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/relaxation-techniques-breath-control-
helps-quell-errant-stress-response
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5483482/
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17013636
washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/05/26/harvard-neuroscientist-
meditation-not-only-reduces-stress-it-literally-changes-your-brain/
mindtools.com/pages/article/cognitive-load-theory.htm