Let’s face it, stress is a part of life and work can be hard. If life was always relaxing and easy going, we would be sitting on a beach, drinking margaritas and being fed grapes by a Joe Manganiello-esque god.But alas, we aren’t. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 7.7 million Australians are considered to be working full time. The Sydney Morning Herald reported in October 2015 that of this number, over five million were working 40+ hours, another 1.4 million were working 50+ hours and another 270 000 reported to be working 70+ hours. Given we spend so much of our lives at work, there are bound to be times when it all seems to be too much and you get ‘IN THE GRIP’ (insert dramatic music here). At different times, we exhibit some terrible ways to express stress. You may recognise some of these people from your office:

So during these times of high stress, how can you effectively manage it? Stress at times can be an excellent motivator, especially when it comes to strict deadlines. However, for most of the time, it’s something that needs to be managed to prevent burn out, illness and negativity affecting those around you. So, what can you do when it all seems too much?

Next time you’re feeling stressed, try one of these six tips to help fight it. Remember, fight the stress – not your colleagues!