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"Have One
Week, Will Relax"
They say there's more than one way to skin a cat. The
same goes when you start tearing your hair out with all
the frustration, grief, anxiety, and yes, stress. It's a
state of mental conditioning that is like taking that
bitter pill down your throat, causing you to lose your
sense of self, and worse your sanity. Just thinking
about it can drive anyone off the edge.
And they say that the proactive ones are already living
off the edge.
As one stressed-out person to another, I know how it
feels, and believe me there are many variants when it
comes to stress. Coping with life, and carrying the
problems that may or may not belong to you can scratch
away the little joy and happiness that you can carry
once you head out that door. You can't blame them for
being like that; they have their own reasons, so much
like we have our reasons to allow stress to weigh us
down. They say that stress is all in the mind, well,
what's bugging you anyway?
There are several ways to manage stress, and eventually
remove it out of your life one of these days. So I'll
try to divide it into a seven-day course for you and I
promise it's not going to be too taxing on the body, as
well as on the mind.
1. Acknowledge stress is good
Make stress your friend! Based on the body's natural
"fight or flight" response, that burst of energy will
enhance your performance at the right moment. I've yet
to see a top sportsman totally relaxed before a big
competition. Use stress wisely to push yourself that
little bit harder when it counts most.
2. Avoid stress sneezers
Stressed people sneeze stress germs indiscriminately
and before you know it, you are infected too!
Protect yourself by recognizing stress in others and
limiting your contact with them. Or if you've got the
inclination, play stress doctor and teach them how to
better manage themselves.
3. Learn from the best
When people around are losing their head, who keeps
calm? What are they doing differently? What is their
attitude? What language do they use? Are they trained
and experienced?
Figure it out from afar or sit them down for a chat.
Learn from the best stress managers and copy what they
do.
4. Practice socially acceptable heavy breathing
This is something I've learned from a gym
instructor: You can trick your body into relaxing by
using heavy breathing. Breathe in slowly for a count of
7 then breathe out for a count of 11. Repeat the 7-11
breathing until your heart rate slows down, your sweaty
palms dry off and things start to feel more normal.
5. Give stressy thoughts the red light
It is possible to tangle yourself up in a stress
knot all by yourself. "If this happens, then that might
happen and then we're all up the creek!" Most of these
things never happen, so why waste all that energy
worrying needlessly?
Give stress thought-trains the red light and stop them
in their tracks. Okay so it might go wrong - how likely
is that, and what can you do to prevent it?
6. Know your trigger points and hot spots
Presentations, interviews, meetings, giving
difficult feedback, tight deadlines…. My heart rate is
cranking up just writing these down!
Make your own list of stress trigger points or hot
spots. Be specific. Is it only presentations to a
certain audience that get you worked up? Does one
project cause more stress than another? Did you drink
too much coffee?
Knowing what causes you stress is powerful information,
as you can take action to make it less stressful. Do you
need to learn some new skills? Do you need extra
resources? Do you need to switch to decaf?
7. Burn the candle at one end
Lack of sleep, poor diet and no exercise wreaks
havoc on our body and mind. Kind of |
