Too much Stress? Stress occurs in most working situations, but the often-conflicting demands of work and personal life can be a major source of stress, worry, and anxiety, both at work and at home. Finding a healthy balance between the two can reduce stress and increase productive energy in all aspects of your life.
So, learn how to recognize the signs that you’re under too much stress, explore the causes of stress, and set priorities so you can focus your energy on what really needs to get done.
1. Stop To Tourself.
As soon as you begin to feel stress coming on, say “Stop!” to yourself. If you have a problem which causes stress and you are under time pressure, you become nervous and you begin thinking in the wrong direction, lots of negative information is in your head, try to block those messages before they can be heard by saying, “Stop!” Repeat the message a few times: “Stop!” “Stop!”
2. Exercise Your Breathing.
Take a deep breath, filling your diaphragm with air. Focusing on breathing helps you to focus on your stress in a different way. Hold that breathe for eight seconds, and then slowly let the air out. Just as the word “stop” blocks the negative thoughts from your mind; breathing overcomes the stress tendency to hold your breath when under stress.
3. Reflect On Problem.
Breathing will give you energy; now you can focus on the real problem, the cause of stress. You can begin to analyze the different levels of thought and to sort out rational from irrational stress responses. You can see the practical situation more calmly and realistically and distinguish your concern thoughts, how they influence and where they come from.
4. Find Solutions.
You can choose to find real solutions after reflecting on the problem. What might have seemed a disaster becomes a manageable problem that you were given the power to solve by identifying your options.
5. Do A Reality Check.
Find out if your worry has any basis in fact. Worry can distort the real situation. Check to make sure if things are really as bad as they seem. Even when there is an actual problem, it may be easier to solve than you think. Often worry is a small problem blown out of proportion by your imagination. Before you let worry consume you, get the facts. Find out what and how big the real problem is.
6. Never Worry Alone.
Connect with those you know will reassure you, not those who might exaggerate your concerns. They can help you see things differently. Talk to someone you trust—a friend, partner, colleague, mentor—about your concerns. Just talking can be a relief, and your listener may even provide some reassurance and guidance.
7. Take Positive Action To Correct The Problem.
Don’t be a victim of worry and stress. Brooding about the problem gets you nowhere. Fix the problem if you can! If not, then make the problem more manageable by making small corrective changes. You don’t even have to solve the whole problem at once—just make a plan and take it one step at a time, solving one part of the problem first and then the next. Bit by bit you’ll overcome the problem and dissolve your worry.
8. Take Care Of Your Body.
Exercise daily, eat healthy foods, and get enough sleep. Worry and stress put a heavy strain on your body. Taking good care of yourself physically not only reduces the level of tension your body is coping with, but it gives you more energy to deal with the problem itself! Maintaining your brain means caring for your body, (cut down on fats, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol), exercise every day (even a short walk will help invigorate your brain as well as your body), and practice relaxation techniques (tune out your critical voice).
9. Relax Whenever And Wherever You Can.
Practice relaxation techniques whenever you start to feel the first signs of tension, worry, or stress. While quick exercises that you can do almost anywhere are helpful, find the time and space for longer, more meditative relaxation—these exercises are more beneficial in the long run.
10. Let Worries Go.
If there’s nothing you can do about a problem (or nothing more, if you already worked on it)—if it’s simply out of your control—then you have to let the worry go. Blow it away, and start a new project, read a different book, walk another path. Give it up to your past and forget about it. This may be difficult to do, but it is worth the conscious effort.
By beginning to take charge, you can decrease your sense of helplessness, increase your power to perceive the problem more clearly and to discover positive actions you need to take to improve the situation or solve the problem, and quickly diminish the worry that was interfering with your ability to function effectively.
Author: Michel@gosuccessnow.com