6 Ways to Reduce Work Stress as a Highly Sensitive Person
I knew there had to be a better way to make a living as a highly sensitive person.
In my first adult job after grad school, I started fantasizing about how to spend less time at work to live a slower life.
Books about voluntary simplicity with titles like Your Money or Your Life lined my bookshelf. They described inventive ways people can design their lifestyle to save money and report to an office less.
Things like creating co-housing arrangements to reduce the cost of living and your work hours. Or owning a home with a rental space and then using the rental property income to reduce the number of hours you have to work.
I was never courageous enough to consider living off the grid in a yurt or a van to reduce expenses. That seemed like too big a departure from how I was used to living.
But these books gave me permission to think beyond joining the traditional rat race, which was very depleting for an HSP.
In my second job out of grad school, I had the chance to work 4 ten-hour days, giving me a three-day weekend. The ten-hour days were long but the big payoff came from having a long weekend every week.
More than any other work arrangement, I’ve always loved the idea of working from home. And if there’s been an upside to the pandemic, it’s that I’ve had a chance to try it out and experiment with how I manage my workflow to be less stressed and maximize productivity and creativity.
Here are 6 things I learned about how to lower stress during the workday, that I’ll take with me if I ever have to go back to working in an office.
1.Take leave time when you need it rather than ONLY twice a year for a week at a time.
Not everyone has leave time, but if you do and you need a day off, take a day off.
I used to think I needed to explain taking a leave day. But you’ve earned the time, it’s yours to take.
Write yourself an actual permission slip to take time off. If you work on Saturday, take Monday off. Pay yourself back energetically.
And when you go back to work your focus, creativity and productivity will be better because of it.
2. Energy spent must be restored.
We live in a society that thrives off the idea that we can tap into an alternate source of energy by drinking caffeine. But a cup of joe isn’t a clean way to get an energy boost as an HSP, often causing anxiety and sleep problems.
That means we need to do enough of the right self-care during the day to recharge. Use this algorithm to get through the day: Work. Rest. Work. Rest.
Rest may be doing an easy task while you recover. Or stepping away from your desk for a few minutes.
3. Emotional labor requires considerable rest.
Have you ever walked away from a workday feeling exhausted, but you didn’t cross much off your to-do list?
It may be that you spent a ton of emotional energy doing something new, deep listening, untangling a messy situation, or managing difficult co-workers or clients.
This kind of emotional labor is very draining for HSPs. Let yourself rest and recharge afterwards. Keep reading to find out how.
4. Take meditation breaks during the day.
If you’re too tired to keep yourself on task, your mind is wandering, you’re re-reading sentences, or defaulting to surfing the internet or scrolling social media, that’s a sign you need a mini meditation break.
Even just shutting your eyes at your desk for 15 minutes can help.
5. Match your task to your level of mental freshness.
Stop fighting your low focus and wait for the right time to do a task. Do your hardest work when you’re freshest.
In a 40-hour work week, there are a handful of hours that you’ve got laser focus and are at 100% capacity. For me, that’s on Monday and Tuesday and first thing in the mornings.
I’m at 50% after lunch or right after I’ve been doing deep listening and taking in a lot of sensory input in an intense meeting.
Tasks take hours longer to complete if you try to tackle them at 50% mental capacity. Instead of forcing ahead when you’re at 50%, can you spend some of that time recharging? And then once you’re back to 100%, get the project done in less time.
Waiting to do the task at the right time has the added benefit of giving you a chance to step back and mull it over. You’re more likely to come up with more creative solutions.
Steve Jobs embraced the idea of waiting for the right time, says Adam Grant, a Professor of Management at Wharton School of Business. Strategic procrastination gave him space to tap into unconventional solutions.
6. Batch your work and reduce interruptions to reduce fatigue.
Because of HSP deep thinking, switching gears and running from task to task is exhausting.
Do all of the same type of work together so you’re saving energy by reducing the number of times you switch gears.
Put your phone on DND and close your email to reduce interruptions and stay focused. Return phone messages all at once. And check email only at designated times rather than having it open all day.
You don’t have to opt into the rat race
In my highest periods of stress, I’ve walked away from my car, leaving the keys in the ignition and the engine on.
I’ve been so fatigued I couldn’t remember which key went to my office door.
If you’ve had these types of stress related experiences, you’re not alone.
And if you’re ready to create a different work life, one where you work fewer hours, have a flexible schedule, or that gives you control over how you manage your energy during the day, I am here cheering you on.
If your dream is to work for yourself, for fewer hours, or from home, begin laying the foundation for that now.
Start doing research to see what that would take. And then make your dream a reality.
No one says you have to run the rat race.
If free time is most important to you, design a life that will give you that. Even if that means getting creative with how you live and work.
Your future self will thank you.
Other articles you may enjoy:
How To Start Your Search For A Virtual Job: Rethinking Work As A Highly Sensitive Person
The Best Jobs For Highly Sensitive People