How Your Environment Affects Stress Level

How your environment affects stress level: For most of us, we spend most of our time at our workplace and home.  In this day and age, your home may be your workplace.

Therefore, if these environments are set up to cause you conflict, they will inevitably add to your stress levels.  Maintaining a sense of peace and balance is of the utmost importance if your environment is affecting your stress levels.

Environment Affects Stress Level:
WHERE THE %$#& IS MY STAPLER??!!

If you live or work in a cluttered area, you will waste time (and increase blood pressure) looking for items instead of completing tasks efficiently. This takes away from more important things such as spending more time with family or achieving more within your profession.  You will feel overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed because it will only be a matter of time before you have to answer to your boss or your spouse (is there a difference? LOL!).  

I think you need to ask yourself the following:

1.    What is the source of my environmental stress?  EG: Is it a colleague?  Is it a cluttered, disorganized, and loud work area?

2.    How do I improve my current environment? After careful consideration, propose to your boss ways in which to improve the surroundings. If necessary, suggest an environment redesign. They will appreciate (we hope) your taking the initiative. Ask yourself if you actually need half the items in your home or office. If you haven’t used something during the last year, throw it out or donate it to charity. If it’s a colleague, do they need to be encouraged and shown ways to improve their work? Have you made them feel welcome and part of the team?

3.    If I can’t improve my current environment, am I prepared to leave it in search of a better one? Must I remain in this environment?  You can actually alleviate your stress once you begin making plans to leave your stressful environment. Some of my best days at a job were the final ones, knowing full well that they were numbered and I’d be on to greener pastures.

If your environment affects your stress levels, restoring balance is possible.  You have more control than you think. You will be more productive, more fulfilled, and more at peace.

This can only lead to lower stress levels and in turn, a healthier life.

How Your Environment Affects Stress Levels and More Ways to Cope Over Here