When most people think of stress, they think of piles of work, deadlines, and plenty of overtime. However many overlook the less obvious factors that can add to your stress levels - the organisation of your environment. An organised, comfortable environment can keep stress levels down and improve productivity, while disorganisation and chaos will have the opposite effect. While the following points may seem insignificant, put together they can greatly help to keep stress levels down...

Air quality

The following can contribute to the unpleasantness of poor air quality:

You can improve air quality by:

Lighting

Poor lighting causes eye strain and tiredness, as does lights that shine directly into your eyes or are too bright. The quality of light might also have an effect - natural sunlight has the most energising effect. Most artificial light does not have a mood enhancing effect - try working by a window or using a full spectrum (white) light bulb.

Decoration and tidiness

An untidy and chaotic environment can be stressful and distracting. While most people are able to concentrate on one task on an untidy desk, it is difficult to work on many projects at once if you are not organised. While we all work differently and are comfortable with different work spaces, it is important to be organised to the extent that you know where everything is and are able to pull out information that you need in a hurry. Remember - organisation need not mean pristine clean, as long as things are where you can find them.

Noise

Noise can be a huge cause of stress. In most offices there will be some noise (I personally cannot work without my radio keeping me company in the background!) too much noise can be distracting and annoying, particularly in an open plan office where people are talking, phones are ringing or machines are buzzing. Not only will high noise levels affect quality of work, it can cause irritability, tension and headaches.

Noise levels at work can be reduced by:

Comfortable and appropriate furniture

Stress can also be caused by bad furniture, or good furniture that is not used correctly, creating backache, headaches and muscle tension. Make sure that your chair is comfortable and that you are sitting up straight, and that your computer keyboard and monitor are in comfortable positions so that you do not need to strain your hands or neck. Give your eyes a break from your monitor every now and then - try focussing on something further away from your monitor at regular intervals, massage your eyelids gently with your fingertips and regularly rotate your shoulders to prevent tension build-up. Get up and walk around every now and then, and if possible, take your lunch break out of the office. If you feel that you are continually suffering, consider consulting with a professional for help, such as a physiotherapist.

Personal space

People need to feel that they have their own personal space - working at a different desk every day can also be a a cause of stress or irritation, as people will feel that they have no control over their environment. If it is not possible to have your own office, use screens to partition yourself off, or failing this, create your own personal space by bringing small items of a personal nature to put on your desk, such as a photo or small ornament.


It is important to always keep in mind that everyone is different, and therefore not all of these solutions will be suitable for you. Go with what you are comfortable with, for the best possible, most stress free environment that you can organise for yourself.

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