Is it Possible to Find a Stress-Free Job?

The only way to find a stress-free job is to completely rethink work environments. This is because if an employee perceives their position as a threat or their rights are violated, the psychological impact will always be present.

Written and verified by the psychologist Valeria Sabater.

Last update: 21 December, 2022

You may think that the only way to have a stress-free job is to create it yourself and be its CEO. However, the truth is that neither being the boss nor choosing to carry out your work at home, will rid you of emotional and physical tensions.

It seems that every profession and position in an organization leaves, to a greater or lesser degree, an imprint on our psychological health. If you look for those jobs that, according to various statistics are less stressful, you find categories as disparate as gardeners, landscapers, web developers, massage therapists, or wind turbine technicians. Nevertheless, no job is completely devoid of all vestiges of stress.

As a matter of fact, as a human being, you need a fair and adequate level of this psychophysical mechanism in order to act in any social setting. It’s the energy that drives your motivation, shapes your proactivity, and allows you to solve any challenge. The problem comes when you’re unable to face the demands of your environment with the resources you possess. This is a common occurrence in the workplace.

Finding a stress-free job depends on three factors

Nowadays, a good part of the population is experiencing exhaustion. Exhaustion and overwork. This mental burden is immense and many people are looking to change jobs and find something more tailored to their needs. In fact, it seems that we long for positions that match our professional skills but also respect our mental well-being.

Research conducted by the London University of Medicine claims that stress, defined as a set of undue pressures and demands imposed on us, almost always results in illness. Therefore, nowadays, we lose our health by earning a living. Obviously, this is something we want to avoid, hence an increasingly common need is to find a non-stressful job.

Achieving it depends on three factors. Let’s take a look at them.

Regulating stress

As we mentioned earlier, stress is a part of your daily life. For this reason, knowing how to handle it, and having basic skills to deal with problems and tensions is essential in the journey of life, not only in the workplace. The first thing you should know is that some people are more resistant to stress while others are much more vulnerable.

The second thing worth remembering is that you can acquire, develop, and learn adequate skills in this area. In order to do this, you must:

• Possess emotional intelligence and manage your emotions well.
• Maintain focus. Be clear about your priorities and know what’s most important at all times.
• Possess skills to solve problems.
• Practice assertive communication.
• Know how to make decisions.
• Manage an adequate balance between your work and free time.

Organizations  must promote a climate of ‘psychological safety’

Finding a stress-free job also depends on companies’ commitments with respect to creating more mentally healthy environments. In fact, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work stipulated that this is now an obligation for companies. In other words, attending to the psychological safety of workers (in addition to physical safety) is a priority.

Here are the strategies for achieving this.

• The payment of a living wage.
• Implementing objectives that employees are able to take on and that don’t overload them.
• Respectful hours.
• Allowing adequate rest times.
• Allowing the employee to make decisions.
• The existence of adequate channels of communication between the different levels of the company.
• Fostering positive relationships among all staff.
• Providing possibilities for professional development.
• Involving employees in both small and large decisions.
• Establishing channels and resources to identify and act on psychological distress, as well as problems between employees. For example, bullying.

Look for a job you’re passionate about

Happiness and well-being lie in achieving an adequate balance between your work and personal life. You certainly shouldn’t only live to work. However, you need a decent job that fits your skills and that you’re passionate about.

Finding a stress-free job isn’t easy. Firstly, because it doesn’t exist. As we mentioned earlier, every position implies having to deal with a certain amount of stress. When this is positive stress (eustress) it’s motivating and necessary. That’s because a total absence of stress almost always results in boredom, lack of challenges, and even laziness

Therefore, you must look for a job that fits in with your values, tastes, and professional goals. Only when you perform a job that satisfies you will your stress load be bearable and won’t limit you or weigh you down. On the contrary, it’ll drive you. Of course, finding the right job won’t necessarily be easy as the labor market can be a jungle that’s disappointing at times, and almost always exasperating. However, you mustn’t give up.

Remember what Confucius said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”.