We live in stressful times and there are new demands placed on us, from work and home, all the time. It can be hard to find the wherewithal to cope, to make it through each day, to know which priorities are the biggest ones right now. 

It’s going to be ok. Take a deep breath and, if you’re not already there, consider finding a way to schedule time with a therapist. 

Therapy can be beneficial to your personal life as much as it can be helpful to your work life. 

Here’s how. 

• Develop a better understanding of your values and priorities.  Therapists can help you identify what matters most in your life, in addition to finding ways to support those priorities and reduce the impact and stress caused by whatever doesn’t make your list. When you have a clear vision of the most important things in your life, what matters most to you, you’ll have a better understanding of how to spend your time, how to understand what’s worth your energy and attention and what can take up less mental space and stress. 

• Create and hold better boundaries. Once you figure out your priorities, you’ll be able to better protect the time you spend on them. Being able to say “no,” or to make judgments and decisions without guilt or second-guessing yourself, is a powerful thing! Everyday tasks that might now feel like distractions from, say, work or your home priorities but are in fact important to those things will be viewed in a different light. Going to PTA meetings or family dinners can take on new importance, as could long hours worked in order to get extra time off for a family vacation. 

• Hone your communication skills. Most relationship problems, whether professional or personal, are ultimately communication problems. We have a hard time saying what we really mean or asking for things we want because we don’t want to come across as selfish, or we don’t feel like we deserve the thing we want, or we don’t know how to portray that we’re serious about our request and back away from it immediately. Therapy can help you understand why people seemingly fail to listen to or hear what you’re asking for and can teach you better ways of expressing your needs in a clear and easy to understand way. It might seem difficult at first, a little uncomfortable, but that can become easier with therapy too. It can also help you become a better listener! 

• Better stress management. Whether it’s breathing exercises to help slow things down for a moment or ways of addressing heightened emotions, therapy can teach us how to control our emotions and stop letting stress get the best of us. Whether it’s compartmentalizing work stress so it doesn’t spill over into family and friend time, or learning how to leave home stress at home and not let it distract you at work, therapy can help manage big feelings. 

• Increase your productivity. When you learn to manage stress and have your boundaries and priorities in order, you’ll be able to focus your energy and attention on the things that matter most. At work, this means you’ll be able to stay away from distractions and understand why you need to prioritize certain tasks over others; at home, this means you’ll have an easier time getting to those jobs and requests that have been looming for months but unattended to. Getting those tasks done, focusing on the important things first, will free up your time for other items, maybe even more fun projects, faster. 

There’s been a lot of talk about therapy and mental health in the past two years. Isn’t it time to see what all the talk is about? Don’t you owe it to yourself to feel better? 

If, ultimately, you decide a change in scenery is what will help reduce your work stress, call Davis Staffing. We work with great companies who are looking for new employees with your skills and background and we’d be happy to put you in touch. Call Davis Staffing today!