Having a stress management strategy on place that offers a step-by-step method to relieve the symptoms and eliminate the cause.
Rather than struggling with ineffective coping mechanisms, you can effectively manage your stress by following steps.
Read more: How to cope with Criticism
1. Don’t Let Minor Irritations Get to You
We’ve heard this advice over and over, but it is difficult to practice. Two things to keep in mind.
- Don’t try ignore feelings of irritation. Acknowledge them. Then look beyond them to specific solutions, or if that’s not possible, review them the next hour, day, or week the sitiation changes.
- Keep your perspective. Small stressors loom large in the present but quickly fade if we let them. Once we understan this, we can see them for what they are: small irritations, not earthshaking crises.
2. Don’t Succumb to Guilt
If you have done something you regret, fix it if possible (apologize, change your behavior, etc.) or learn whatever lessons are available.
Don’t let others use guilt to manipulate you. If there is a legitimate problem (failed to meet an obligation, hurt someone’s feelings, etc), take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Read more: How to Handling Fear in an effective way
3. Develop Strategies
Develop an action strategy to achieve a specific solution, or a coping strategy for adapting to the situation. In either case, you are not helpless.
4. Learn to Accept and Adapt to Change
You can more easily accept and adapt to change if you:
- Look for the opportunity. We often focus on solutions that reurn us to the comfort of the status quo ignore opportunities that require more energy, effort and flexibility (for instance, moving to take a new job or changing professions).
- Take a leadership approach. Don’t freeze. Use an action or coping strategy to keep moving. If you’ve lost a job, you must keep moving. Take an active approach to contacting prospective employers, friends and business colleagues who might act as referrals.
5. Change the Way you Look at Stress
Stress is not an external force. Look at stress producers from more than one angle. Look for choices and alternatives. For instance, if you are overwhelmed by an unfamiliar task, you can begin with your existing skills or knowledge. Break the task down into logical steps and figure out if and where help is needed. Change focus. View problem solvingas enjoyable and challenging.
6. Develop a Support System
Everyone needs at least one person who acts as a sounding board: a close friend, family member, or professional counselor. Just verbalizing these feelings eliminates stress. In addition, these people can provide valuable insight and perspective.
7. Learn to Accept the Things You Can’t Change
Contemporary society has been spoiled by its ability to control daily life. There are so many things that we can moderate or control that we have little experience, and even less patience, in dealing with situations that are out of control.
Our grandparents didn’t have this ability to manipulate their environment. They had to learn to accept things they couldn’t change-untimely death, the weather, crop failures-and cultivate patience to sustain themselves until their lives improved.
Learning to accept without losing hope is a complicated task.
How do we do it?
- Remember that life is cyclical. Look to the future, when things will improve.
- Accept your feelings. If you feel depressed, overwhelmed, anxious or confused, you should not hide those feelings. Use a support system.
- Keep busy. Avoid too much free time to think about problems.
- Change the environment. Depending on the circumstances, this can be as simple as taking a walk. If the time and money are available, take a trip.
- Pamper yourself. Indulge in a personal luxuary (a relaxing hot bath or a small gift).
8. Develop a Personal Anti-Stress Regimen:
As per Google the best way to do this involves a combination of diet, exercise and relaxation. An effective program is:
- Convenient – it should fit easity into your daily schedule.
- Time effective – Be realistic in the time you can commit.
- Inexpensive – Activities such as walking are free. A regular program significantly reduces stress – expense isn’t an excuse.
- Enjoyable – Don’t take up meditation, running, or other activities that you have to force yourself to complete. Choose activites that are fun.
9. Don’t Take It Personally:
Other’s negative behavior might be directed toward you, but in many cases, you are just a convenient target for the stress, frustration, or helplessness they feel. By not taking other’s negative behavior personally, you can break a stress cycle. Don’t accept upleasantness passively. Assert your right to be treated with respect or temporarily remove yourself from the situation.
10. Believe in Yourself
First and foremost, you must rely on yourself. In a nutshell, this means believng that, one way or another, you have the inner stamina and fortitude to handle whatever life dishes out. You must have enough self-confidence to believe you will find the necessary means to withstand stress and look forward to brighter days.
