Managing Stress At Work With VOS

Stress is a natural part of our busy lives and it is impossible to avoid it completely. However, it is very important that our periods of stress don't last for too long and that we always have enough time to rest and recover from them.

Here are some ways you can use the VOS app to help you manage stress at work.

Breathing exercises

When we get stressed, our breathing gets faster and our muscles tense up. This is because stress is an ancient biological signal that warned our ancestors of danger - prompting them to run away or to prepare for a physical fight with a predator. Of course, in our day and age, we cannot literally fight or sprint away from our sources of stress, especially at work! That's why we need to calm down these ancient signals and make sure we regularly relax our body and mind.

Breathing exercises in the VOS app are a great way to do this, as they can guide you through the relaxation process with helpful animations. By focusing you on slowly lengthening and deepening each inhale and exhale, you can become progressively calmer and more grounded. This not only relaxes your body, but it can also clear your mind of anxious thoughts -and what’s better, you can do it anywhere! Take a five-minute breathing break at your desk, and your mind will thank you for it.

Journaling

Stress often results from a very busy mind. We may be thinking about all the different tasks we have to do for work, while also analysing that mean comment from a family member, as well as prepping our shopping list at the same time. Thinking over so many topics at once can quickly become stressful!

When we take time to sit down and journal, we can process our thoughts more systematically. By writing them down and seeing them in front of us, they can become less overwhelming, and it's easier to see a better perspective or to find ways to solve problems. The journaling feature in VOS helps you develop this habit in your daily life. Every day, you receive a new set of self-reflection questions about different areas of life designed by our team of psychologists. Answering these questions can help you think more constructively and to learn to understand yourself better.

Think of VOS as the Marie Kondo for your mind - decluttering your thoughts and keeping only what sparks joy! Either way, an uncluttered mind will surely allow for more inspiration and creativity at your Monday morning work meeting.

Mood tracking

A lot of stress management comes down to knowing your triggers and planning ahead for prevention, rest and recovery. The mood tracking feature in VOS can be really helpful for this - by regularly checking in with yourself to slow down and notice how your mood is changing, it becomes easier to see your repetitive patterns. VOS also allows you to note down what factors have affected your mood, which helps you better understand the ebb and flow of your emotions.

For example, you may notice that your mood consistently gets worse when the weather has been bad, you've spent too much time on social media, or not enough time listening to your favourite music. Once you are aware of this, it becomes easier to predict that if the day is rainy and you have already spent an hour on Twitter, it's time to quickly put on some Beyonce and remind yourself that you run the world!

Affirmations

Finally, the VOS app contains over a hundred helpful affirmations prepared by our psychology team. All of these have been written to provide comfort, inspiration and a more helpful perspective on any stress you may be currently facing. By regularly reminding yourself of your favourite affirmations, they can gradually become a natural part of your mindset, making you more resilient to any obstacles you come across.

Author: Tereza Růžičková