11 Tips and Techniques for Reducing Stress at a Bad Job

Men and women all over the world are forced to keep their stressful jobs because of this bad economy. They go to work feeling ill every day knowing that they have to deal with their uneducated bosses, unqualified coworkers, and tedious tasks that they didn't agree to when they were hired. Any time you're stuck in a bad job it can be stressful, and being forced to keep the bad job can be even more so. When work is creating too much stress in your life, here are several potential solutions.Solutions for Stressful Jobs

1. Work Harder – It may sound unusual, but workingharder solves two problems. First, it keeps your mind occupied so you don't focus on the stress. Second, it has the potential to make work better, if your bosses start to realize the value you bring.

2. Make a Game – Similarly, you should consider turning your work into some type of game. The idea is that you don't just work harder – you work to challenge yourself, almost as though you were playing a video game and the work you have to complete is the level. When you have tedious tasks, see if you can "beat your time" or manage your schedule even better.

3. Be Secretly Ridiculous – You can't always get away with being ridiculous at work, but you can give yourself inside jokes to enjoy. For example, wearing a superman shirt under your suit, or writing on your arm (under your shirt or blouse) in soft pen or marker the coworker you think will annoy you the most, and rewarding yourself if you're right.

4. Stay Extremely Active Outside of Work – It's easy to let the stress of a bad job take control of your personal life, so you need to force yourself to find fun and interesting tasks to do and start them immediately after work. This will help keep your mind off how much you dislike your job, focused instead on the activities you enjoy.

5. Exercise – Physical energy almost always leads to mental energy, and mental energy is your worst enemy when you're feeling too much stress. Work out regularly before or after work. Exercise also stimulates "good feeling" hormones, so you may improve your mood in the process.

6. Hide Harmless Things Around the Office – If you work at a place where this could get you fired don't do it, but one way to make your workplace more fun is to hide little papers with jokes or inspirational sayings all around the office without anyone's knowledge. Having this inside joke with yourself (and the humor you'll experience when they're discovered) is a good way to make work more interesting.

7. Create a Fantasy World – The idea is to make work more interesting. One method that some people enjoy is to give your workplace a storyline and transform it into its own little world that you become a part of. Don't go overboard, of course, but if you can find a fun way to narrate the adventures in the office, work will be more enjoyable.

8. Work on Outside Stress – Outside of work people still suffer from things that cause anxiety and depression . Try to work on this first, because mental health issues and stress are cumulative, in that the more you experience away from work, the worse your experience will be when you are at work.

9. Develop "Bad Work" Bingo – You (along with someone else in your office, if you have a partner that dislikes the job) can also go so far as to develop a bingo game based on various behaviors that often happen at work. For example, you give yourself an X somewhere on the board when your boss calls you in for a meeting that ends up having nothing to do with you. Vary the board up and make sure to give yourself a free space that you only get for coming into work.

10. Drink Tea – Whether you believe in the effectiveness of herbal medicine or not, the act of drinking tea can be extremely helpful. Tea is warm, soothing, and it gives you much needed water (something that many people forget to drink when they're stressed). If you can drink tea at work, try to drink a lot of it.

11. Avoid Scary Movies – Not only scary movies, but anything that brings you any amount of stress or anxiety . While some people get a thrill out of being fearful or "excitable" or overly energized, that physical tension you feel is going to translate into mental tension when you're back in the workplace. Look for only calming outlets while you're still stuck at your job.
The most important thing to remember is that disliking your job also represents an opportunity. You no longer have to worry about trying to impress the company or your bosses. You can focus on finding ways to make the job work for you (rather than the other way around). Do everything within reason so that you keep your job and don't get fired/reprimanded, but don't worry quite as much about how your job sees you. Worry instead about changing the way you see your job.