Make Any Job Feel Less Stressful

Two-thirds of Americans point to their job as a main source of anxiety, but getting all worked up at workshouldnt be your norm. Try these six science-backed strategies to feel cool, calm, and happy now.

- Yolanda Wikiel

1 See stress as a good thing.

Anxiety is a form of energy you can harness to work for you, says Ian Robertson, PhD, clinical psychologist, cognitive neuroscientist, and author of The Stress Test: How Pressure Can Make You Stronger and Sharper. Reframe a stressful situation as a challenge instead of a threat, and use those intense feelings to energize rather than hinder you. In other words, go into that big meeting determined to impress your boss, not worried she’ll fire you. Stress causes the brain to release the chemical nor adrenaline, says Robertson, and if you think bad things might happen, you’ll get too much of the chemical, which could make you more likely to clam up or say the wrong thing. If you’re excited to perform, you’ll reap the benefits of the arousal and be in a better position to do well.

2 Let email pile up.