Monday morning is almost everyone’s least favorite part of the week, but this is particularly true if work stress is a problem. Stress increases anxiety and reduces creativity, two factors known to negatively affect enjoyment and productivity in the workplace. Jump into your workday with these top ten ways to beat work stress and greatly increase your job satisfaction.

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

2. Take your lunch break. Many employees pride themselves on skipping lunch and view it as a sign of their commitment to being productive. The reality is that lunchtime is when people are most likely to feel anxious, irritable, or send testy emails. Once they eat, they almost seem to say, “What was 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 they are not around. You also have the added stress of knowing who told you what. Gossip really adds up to appearing (and being) unreliable. Not the best trait to cultivate as a coworker!

Gossip is mostly lazy to make small talk anyway. Rather than rely on this old standby to fire up lunch table chat, have a few topics lined up before you get there. What if someone else starts gossiping? Do not answer conceptually. Just acknowledge the person’s concerns (“He really bothers you, huh?”) and gracefully change the subject.

4. Dress for success. This is a different take on another trusted piece of classic business information. If you wear things to work that make you feel fat, old, scruffy, or just plain uncomfortable, you’re inadvertently 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 enhance the one that fits you perfectly, and looks great on you, with a different scarf, earrings, tie…you know how.

5. Admit your mistakes. By being willing to demonstrate through your words and actions that speaking up 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 trained professional, but it is quite the opposite. You’ll be surprised at the impact this courageous act will have on your reputation and trustworthiness. 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 how to manage our stress? Why don’t we do the things we know we should do until a doctor tells us we should? The answer is probably that many of us don’t see ourselves as a priority. You have not added to your to-do list that you are also an important relationship that needs attention.

You are a valuable resource in your work life, and you need to “recharge” if you want to manage your career effectively. Set aside time in your work schedule that fits your time: have lunch, take a walk, or catch up on important relationships.

7. See where your work makes a difference. If you’re not sure if your job is to make other people’s lives at least easier, you’ll experience much more stress than your coworkers. For your job to be meaningful (and a lot less stressful), you need to see it through the eyes of working for the benefit of others. How does your work help the organization meet 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 be involved in their work than those without a best friend at work (those without 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 you admire and someone who can “keep it in check” is a must. 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. Because? Because they don’t work where you do. Only a coworker can fully understand her personalities and workplace culture.

9. Watch your language. Our language is not arbitrary. Research suggests that the subconscious recognizes even “jokes” about our stress as true. So saying out loud, “God, I feel like I got hit by a freight train!” is confirming the stress of him as a sure thing in the near future.

No one is in control of EVERY thought. Fortunately, you only need to worry about the ones that cause stress. When you notice stress taking over, it’s time to stop what you’re doing, step back, and see what thought got the ball rolling. Change your thinking to look for what is going well, instead of only focusing on what may not be going well.

Spend time with coworkers who are positive and productive, and limit your negative self-talk. Your thoughts create your behavior, behaviors become habits, and habits create your life. Stop entering the “who’s most stressed” contest and focus 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, “Maintaining a complicated life is a great way to avoid making it better.” 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,” then you’re a candidate for simplifying your work life.

The first thing on the list is to clear the clutter. Get familiar with your trash can (or recycling bin) and use it often. Set aside a day THIS WEEK to go through your stacks and folders. Anything older than a year 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.

Finally, 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 recycle bin?)