Stress Management
While it may seem like there’s nothing
you can do about stress at work and home, there are steps you can take to
relieve the pressure and regain control.
The
importance of managing stress.
If
you’re living with high levels of stress, you’re putting your entire well-being
at risk. Stress wreaks havoc on your emotional equilibrium, as well as your
physical health. It narrows your ability to think clearly, function
effectively, and enjoy life. It may seem like there’s nothing you can do about
stress. The bills won’t stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day,
and your work and family responsibilities will always be demanding. But you
have a lot more control than you might think.
Effective
stress management helps you break the hold stress has on your life, so you can
be happier, healthier, and more productive. The ultimate goal is a balanced
life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun—and the resilience to
hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on. But stress management is
not one-size-fits-all. That’s why it’s important to experiment and find out
what works best for you. The following stress management tips can help you do
that.
Tip
1: Identify the sources of stress in your life.
Stress
management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. This
isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. While it’s easy to identify major
stressors such as changing jobs, moving, or going through a divorce,
pinpointing the sources of chronic stress can be more complicated. It’s all too
easy to overlook how your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviours contribute to
your everyday stress levels.
Sure,
you may know that you’re constantly worried about work deadlines, but maybe
it’s your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that is causing
the stress.
Tip
2: Practice the 4 A’s of stress management
While
stress is an automatic response from your nervous system, some stressors arise
at predictable times: your commute to work, a meeting with your boss, or family
gatherings, for example. When handling such predictable stressors, you can
either change the situation or change your reaction. When deciding which option
to choose in any given scenario, it’s helpful to think of the four A’s: Avoid, Alter, Adapt, or Accept.
Learn how to say “no.” Know your limits
and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, taking on
more than you can handle is a sure-fire recipe for stress. Distinguish between
the “should” and the “musts” and, when possible, say “no” to taking on too
much.
Avoid people who
stress you out. If someone consistently causes stress in your life, limit the
amount of time you spend with that person, or end the relationship.
Take control of your
environment. If the evening news makes you anxious, turn off the TV. If
traffic makes you tense, take a longer but less-travelled route. If going to
the market is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online.
Pare down your to-do
list. Analyse
your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you’ve got too much on
your plate, drop tasks that aren’t truly necessary to the bottom of the list or
eliminate them entirely.
Express your feelings
instead of bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you, be more
assertive and communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way. If
you’ve got an exam to study for and your chatty roommate just got home, say up
front that you only have five minutes to talk. If you don’t voice your
feelings, resentment will build and the stress will increase.
Be willing to
compromise. When you ask someone to change their behaviour, be willing to do
the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you’ll have a good
chance of finding a happy middle ground.
Create a balanced
schedule. All work and no play is a recipe for burnout. Try to find a balance
between work and family life, social activities and solitary pursuits, daily
responsibilities and downtime.
Reframe problems. Try to view
stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than fuming about
a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to
your favourite radio station, or enjoy some alone time.
Look at the big
picture. Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how
important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it
really worth getting upset over? If the answer is no, focus your time and
energy elsewhere.
Adjust your standards. Perfectionism is
a major source of avoidable stress. Stop setting yourself up for failure by
demanding perfection. Set reasonable standards for yourself and others, and
learn to be okay with “good enough.”
Practice gratitude. When stress is
getting you down, take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in
your life, including your own positive qualities and gifts. This simple
strategy can help you keep things in perspective.
Don’t try to control
the uncontrollable. Many things in life are beyond our control,
particularly the behaviour of other people. Rather than stressing out over
them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react
to problems.
Look for the upside. When facing
major challenges, try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth. If
your own poor choices contributed to a stressful situation, reflect on them and
learn from your mistakes.
Learn to forgive. Accept the fact
that we live in an imperfect world and that people make mistakes. Let go of
anger and resentments. Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and
moving on.
Share your feelings. Expressing what
you’re going through can be very cathartic, even if there’s nothing you can do
to alter the stressful situation. Talk to a trusted friend or make an
appointment with a therapist.
Tip 3: Get moving
When
you’re stressed, the last thing you probably feel like doing is getting up and
exercising. But physical activity is
a huge stress reliever—and you don’t have to be an athlete or spend hours in a
gym to experience the benefits. Exercise releases endorphins that make you feel
good, and it can also serve as a valuable distraction from your daily worries.
Tip
4: Connect to others
There
is nothing more calming than spending quality time with another human being who
makes you feel safe and understood. In fact, face-to-face interaction triggers
a cascade of hormones that counteracts the body’s defensive “fight-or-flight”
response. It’s nature’s natural stress reliever (as an added bonus, it also
helps stave off depression and anxiety). So, make it a point to connect
regularly—and in person—with family and friends.
Keep
in mind that the people you talk to don’t have to be able to fix your stress.
They simply need to be good listeners. And try not to let worries about looking
weak or being a burden keep you from opening up. The people who care about you
will be flattered by your trust. It will only strengthen your bond.
Of
course, it’s not always realistic to have a pal close by to lean on when you
feel overwhelmed by stress, but by building and maintaining a network of close friends you
can improve your resiliency to life’s stressors.
Tip 5: Make time for fun
and relaxation.
Beyond a take-charge approach and a
positive attitude, you can reduce stress in your life by carving out “me” time.
Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take
care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury. If you
regularly make time for fun and relaxation, you’ll be in a better place to
handle life’s stressors.
Set aside leisure time. Include rest and relaxation in
your daily schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to encroach. This is your
time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.
Do something you enjoy every day. Make time for leisure activities that
bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your
bike.
Keep your sense of humour. This includes the ability to laugh
at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways.
Take up a relaxation practice. Relaxation techniques such as
yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body’s relaxation response, a state of restfulness that is the
opposite of the fight or flight or mobilization stress response. As you learn
and practice these techniques, your stress levels will decrease, and your mind
and body will become calm and cantered.
Tip 6: Manage your time better.
Poor time management can cause a lot of
stress. When you’re stretched too thin and running behind, it’s hard to stay
calm and focused. Plus, you’ll be tempted to avoid or cut back on all the
healthy things you should be doing to keep stress in check, like socializing
and getting enough sleep. The good news: there are things you can do to achieve
a healthier work-life balance.
Don’t over-commit yourself. Avoid scheduling things
back-to-back or trying to fit too much into one day. All too often, we
underestimate how long things will take.
Prioritize tasks. Make a list of tasks you have to do
and tackle them in order of importance. Do the high-priority items first. If
you have something particularly unpleasant or stressful to do, get it over with
early. The rest of your day will be more pleasant as a result.
Break projects into small steps. If a large project seems
overwhelming, make a step-by-step plan. Focus on one manageable step at a time,
rather than taking on everything at once.
Delegate responsibility. You don’t have to do it all
yourself, whether at home, school, or on the job. If other people can take care
of the task, why not let them? Let go of the desire to control or oversee every
little step. You’ll be letting go of unnecessary stress in the process.
Tip 7: Maintain balance
with a healthy lifestyle.
In addition to regular exercise, there
are other healthy lifestyle choices that can increase your resistance to
stress.
Eat a healthy diet. Well-nourished bodies are better
prepared to cope with stress, so be mindful of what you eat. Start your day
right with breakfast and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day.
Reduce caffeine and sugar. The temporary “highs” caffeine and
sugar provide often end with a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount
of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet, you’ll feel more relaxed and you’ll
sleep better.
Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. Self-medicating with alcohol or drugs may provide an easy escape from
stress, but the relief is only temporary. Don’t avoid or mask the issue at hand,
deal with problems head on and with a clear mind.
Get enough sleep. Adequate sleep fuels
your mind, as well as your body. Feeling tired will increase your stress
because it may cause you to think irrationally.
Tip 8: Learn to relieve
stress in the moment.
When you’re frazzled by your morning
commute, stuck in a stressful meeting at work, or fried from another argument
with your spouse, you need a way to manage your stress levels right now. That’s where
quick stress relief comes in.
The fastest way to reduce stress is by
taking a deep breath and using your senses—what you see, hear, taste, and
touch—or through a soothing movement. By viewing a favourite photo, smelling a
specific scent, listening to a favourite piece of music, tasting a piece of
gum, or hugging a pet, for example, you can quickly relax and focus yourself.
Of course, not everyone responds to each
sensory experience in the same way. The key to quick stress relief is to experiment and discover the unique sensory
experiences that work best for you.
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