Monday morning is the least favorite part of the week for almost everyone, but this is particularly true if job stress is an issue. Stress increases anxiety and reduces creativity, two factors that are known to negatively impact enjoyment and productivity in the workplace. Get into your workday with these top ten ways to beat job stress and greatly increase your job satisfaction.

1. Stop shooting for perfection. Perfection may be a standard to aim for, but it becomes unhealthy when it is the only accepted standard. Some people take the goal of perfection too far … and there is a price to pay. True perfectionists are never satisfied. Chronic or daily attempts to achieve perfection are driven by feelings of inferiority and low self-esteem. This not only affects the person and their health, but seriously damages the morale of their co-workers. Remember: perfection is not possible for humans.

2. Take your lunch break. Many employees take pride in skipping lunch and see it as a sign of their commitment to being productive. The reality is that lunchtime is when people are most likely to get anxious, irritated, or send forceful emails. Once they eat, they almost seem to say, “What’s that all about?” We usually don’t see the connection between low blood sugar (caused by hunger) and our stress levels.

3. Stop gossiping. Oh! This one is going to hurt a bit, but the payoff is great. When you gossip, you are telling the person you are gossiping with that you will do the same when he / she is not around. You also have the added stress of keeping clear who you’ve told what. Gossip really adds up to looking (and being) unreliable. Not the best trait to cultivate as a co-worker!

Gossip is mostly laziness in making small talk anyway. Instead of relying on this old resource to ignite the talk at the lunch table, have a few topics prepared before you get there. What if someone else starts gossiping? Don’t respond judiciously. Just acknowledge the person’s concerns (“It really bothers you, huh?”) And gracefully change the subject.

4. Dress for success. This is a different version of another reliable piece of classic business information. If you wear things to work that make you feel fat, old, scruffy, or just plain uncomfortable, you are unknowingly causing yourself a stressful day at work.

We are directly influenced by how we feel about ourselves … including our physical appearance. Instead of trying to look like you have a new set of clothes every week, just add a touch of style to the one that looks perfect, and looks great, with a different scarf, earrings, tie … you know the exercise .

5. Admit your mistakes. By being willing to demonstrate through your words and actions that speaking and learning from mistakes is a necessary part of long-term career success, you allow others to be honest about their mistakes as well. At first glance, this may seem like a statement that you are not a qualified professional, but it is quite the opposite. You will be amazed at the impact this brave act will have on your reputation and reliability. In fact, it takes strength to admit that you are not perfect.

6. Make an appointment with yourself. Why do we have to take a class to learn to manage our stress? Why don’t we do the things we know we should do until a doctor tells us to do it? The answer is likely that many of us do not see ourselves as a priority. You have not incorporated into your to-do list that it is also an important relationship that needs attention.

You are a valuable resource in your work life and need to be “recharged” if you want to manage your career effectively. Spend time in your work schedule that builds up in time for you: eat lunch, go for a walk, or catch up on important relationships.

7. See where your work makes a difference. If you are unsure whether your job is to at least make the lives of others easier, then you are going to experience a lot more stress than your co-workers. For your work to be meaningful (and much less stressful), you need to see it through the eyes of working for the benefit of others. Where does your work help the organization achieve its objectives? How does your work impact your local community?

8. Make friends. According to a recent Gallup poll, employees who have a best friend at work are seven times more likely to participate in their work than those who did not have a best friend at work (those who did not have a best friend at work were only 1 in 12 self-defined as productive and happy at work).

Developing a friendship with a coworker who has a work ethic that you admire and someone who can “keep it closed” is imperative. No matter how good your partner, friend, or neighbor is at solving problems or listening to your work concerns, they are not your best option. Why? Because they don’t work where you do. Only a coworker can fully understand the personalities and culture of their workplace.

9. Take care of your language. Our language is not arbitrary. Research suggests that the subconscious considers even “joking” about our stress to be true. Then saying out loud, “God, I feel like I’ve been hit by a freight train!” you are confirming your stress as safe in the near future.

No one is in control of ALL thoughts. Fortunately, you only need to worry about the ones that cause stress. When you notice stress creeping in, it’s time to stop what you’re doing, step back, and see what thought got the ball rolling. Shift your thinking to looking for what is going well, rather than focusing only on what may not be going well.

Spend time with positive and productive coworkers and limit your negative self-talk. Your thoughts create your behavior, behaviors become habits, and habits create your life. Stop participating in the “who’s most stressed” contest and focus instead on what’s going well and how much you’ve learned and accomplished in your career.

10. Simplify, simplify, simplify. Author Elaine St. James (“Simplify Your Life”) says, “Keeping a complicated life is a great way to avoid improving it.” If you find yourself saying more than once a week “Where did the day go?” or ‘I know I was busy, but I’m not sure what I did’, so you are a candidate to simplify your work life.

First on the list is clutter. Get familiar with your trash can (or recycling bin) and use it frequently. Set aside a day THIS WEEK to go through your stacks and binders. Anything over a year old is probably a disposable item. Financial records are one of the exceptions to this rule.

Then start planning weekly at the end of each work week. Take the last 20 minutes of your work week to plan for the next one. If you don’t start putting the important items into your time management tool on a weekly basis, then each day is just a crisis management session waiting to happen.

Lastly, stay informed with articles like this one. There are unlimited resources available that are quick and helpful. Take what works and throw away what doesn’t (where IS that recycling bin?)