Here’s Your Chance to Wear Your Pyjamas to Work!

Giving a whole new meaning to ‘casual Friday’, Stress Down Day is a legitimate excuse for you to wear your pyjamas, onesie or favourite Ugg boots to work.

Raising awareness for Lifeline and the impact of stress on our mental health, July 26th is a great reminder of the need to regularly unwind and take a break from our busy lives.

Work is a leading cause of stress for most people, often surfacing as a range of physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioural symptoms. Recognising these signs can be difficult, so it’s important to know your own limit and listen to your body.

This Friday you can show your support by buying a pair of Stress Down Day slippers, making a donation or hosting a stress-free morning tea at your work to have fun, stress less and feel better!

So shrug off those strange looks and dress to ‘stress less’ this Friday.

Stress can often creep up on you. Here are our tips for keeping stress at bay in the workplace:

• Take care of yourself: What they say about endorphins and green vegetables is true! Exercising and eating well can make a difference on your mood and energy levels which, in turn, can change the way you react to stressful situations.
• Go green: It’s proven that having plants in the office relieves stress and reduces negative mood states by up to 60 per cent.
• Sober up: You may think that a few bevvies after work are the perfect antidote to stress and worry, but this band-aid approach can eventually lead to alcohol abuse and dependencies. And, as finance is another leading cause of stress, your heavier wallet may help to lighten your stress load.
• Talk it out: Nobody likes to admit that they’re not coping, but sometimes just venting your troubles and worries to someone can make you feel a little less alone.
• Make every day Stress Down Day! July 26 may be the official Stress Down Day, but stress needs to be managed more than once a year. Pick out a day each week or month when you can reset your stress levels and think about how you’re coping. You can even take the initiative to organise regular ‘stress less’ work events.

Lifeline is a not-for-profit organisation providing crisis support, suicide prevention and mental health support services Australia-wide. If you’re having trouble coping with stress or need someone to talk to, you can call Lifeline’s 24-hour crisis support service on 13 11 14.