Every day we face many situations and factors that make us feel powerless. This, automatically, leads to stress. Some people have difficulties with coping with this negative feeling. Fortunately, if we learn a few rules about coping with stress in our pri
Every day we face many situations and factors that make us feel powerless. This, automatically, leads to stress. Some people have difficulties with coping with this negative feeling. Fortunately, if we learn a few rules about coping with stress in our private life and at work, we will be able to live our lives carefree, and we will complete our professional tasks more effectively. If we apply certain rules and establish a few principles in our everyday life, we can effectively eliminate the main stressors that we encounter.
Stressors can be divided into two categories. The ones originating from everything that surrounds us are called external stressors. Those which are rooted in our bodies are called internal stressors. Both of them can be eliminated to a large extent, so that we can live in happiness. However, we cannot fool ourselves by thinking that our life will become totally stress-free. This is simply impossible. Looking at the problem from a different point of view, just try to imagine our lives without all those small emotional thrills and challenges. Our existence would become monotonous and boring. It is worth, however, to learn a few habits that will make it easier for us to cope with stress. We formulated as many as 16 useful steps to follow.
Step 1 – identify stressors
If we know the nature of the thing we are struggling with, it is much easier for us to win this struggle. Firstly, we should determine the nature of our stress factors. If we do not properly determine their nature, we will not be able to establish the most effective and successful means of coping with them in everyday life. Generally, we have no difficulties in pointing out stress factors in our everyday life and at work. Some of them can be eliminated with little effort, while other ones can be alleviated or avoided. The main thing is to get to know your enemy; it should be much easier after that. Moreover, when we are prepared for our stressors, it is much easier for us to cope with them, and we feel less stressed.
Step 2 – do not take too many assignments
Employees who work at large corporations are the ones who usually face this situation, as they often have to compete with their coworkers. It is unwise to take too many assignments and too much additional work. Employer and time pressure are the reasons for very strong stress. We can eliminate the problem if we cross out our unnecessary tasks. If some of the tasks are not worth the psychological cost, it is better not to complete them. We should act similarly in our private and family lives as we cannot deal with everything in those two areas as well. People have limited time and strength to complete their tasks, and it is worth to remember this fact.
Step 3 – better organization
An organized person who knows what tasks and assignments await him or her during the day is significantly less stressed than a person who acts chaotically and is surprised by everything that happens. It has to be stated that the level of our disorganization is proportional to the level of stress. Lack of organization is considered to be one of the biggest stress factors. Therefore, in order to eliminate this stressor, we have to introduce order into our lives. We should complete our tasks chronologically, and we should know how much time they will consume. Having a good plan is part of the success in stress elimination.
Step 4 – do not procrastinate
Many of us have the tendency to postpone some tasks, usually the most complicated and unpleasant ones, for an unspecified period of time. However, by doing so, our tasks begin to overlap and begin to form into something like a mountain of stress. This, naturally, causes even greater stress. If we did our difficult assignments in the first place, without postponing them, we would, to a large extent, free ourselves from stress.
Step 5 – inspecting our actions
People make mistakes, and we should be aware of that. No one is perfect, so an objective inspection of our actions is something very useful. If nobody else can help us with this, we should deal with it ourselves. A detailed plan of our actions with an estimate of their results would prove to be of great use to us. If we achieve those results in the course of our actions, everything should be ok after we make an inspection. On the other hand, inspecting others can make them feel stressed, and this tress would be justified. We should, as managers who are in charge of a group of people, give our employees some degree of freedom. They should work as they please as long as they fulfill their job’s requirements and achieve assigned goals.
Step 6 – do not do everything at once
None of us is a robot. Therefore, we cannot effectively fulfill multiple tasks simultaneously. Doing several things at once may seem effective, but, in fact, it is totally the other way round. When we act like this, we cannot fully concentrate on our efforts to fulfill a given task with necessary care, and we do not focus on getting as best results as possible. We are careless in our actions, and we slow down the whole working process. This proves to be very stressful.
Step 7 – coming late
This stress factor can be considered from two points of view. Firstly, we can get stressed when our friends, coworkers, clients, and business partners are constantly late for meetings. Secondly, our own lack of time can be the source of our stress as well. Every one of us should make a habit out of being punctual. Once we achieve this, stress related to coming late will disappear. Effective time management is a key factor in becoming punctual. It is enough to simply get up a bit earlier and go to work with an adequate time reserve. Lack of haste eliminates stress.
Step 8 – avoiding conflicts
Avoiding problems helps us deal with stress in many difficult situations. It is extremely important to avoid people who like to cause conflicts. There are people who simply like quarreling. We should reduce to minimum our contacts with a person or a group of people who annoy us. This can be difficult sometimes, especially when our boss or mother-in-law is the source of our stress, but we can always try to maximally avoid our contacts with such people.
Step 9 – accumulate energy
Too many assignments, doing multiple tasks simultaneously, and working under the pressure of time not only make us feel stressed, but also drain our energy and leave us with the feeling of exhaustion. It happens that we feel stressed and tired when we know that we have exhaustive tasks to complete. By eliminating smaller tasks which we do not have to do at all, and by focusing only on the most important issues, we will be able to accumulate energy. Thanks to this energy, we can do our most important tasks more effectively, and we do not feel physically and mentally exhausted at the end of the week.
Step 10 – take it easy
Sometimes, it is worth to take things easy in our private and professional lives. It is good to simply relax and chill out. If we allow ourselves to do things a bit more slowly, we eliminate stress. If we slow down in life, we will notice the beauty of the world surrounding us.
Step 11 – a schedule of meetings
Introducing order to our meeting schedule is a key element in stress elimination. It is not necessary to plan every minute of our day. We should allow ourselves to be spontaneous a bit. Additionally, sometimes it is worth to cancel some of our meetings and simply relax.
Step 12 – a time to relax
During the day, it is worth to devote at least a few minutes to take a break and relax. It will help us regenerate our strength and clear our minds. Sometimes, it is good to take a break even during work; we will return to our tasks with some new ideas. Fortunately, many workers are already aware of the importance of having short brakes during work. Such brakes should be spent on stretching exercises, massage, or an outdoor walk. Informal conversations, favorite activities, or a coffee in a pleasant company help us relax and reduce the level of stress at work. Additionally, it is advised not to put work above our personal and family lives.
Step 13 – helping others
Unselfish acts of helping other people, be it friends, workmates, or family, help raise our own self-esteem. In consequence, we have a better mood and more energy to act. This, naturally, reduces stress. Though we have more tasks to perform and, generally, a much busier day, we do not feel stressed too much. Helping others makes our life more valuable.
Step 14 – a healthy lifestyle
Leading a healthy lifestyle that includes exercises in any form helps us reduce stress. Physical exercises trigger the production of the happy hormone, i.e., endorphin. Sport helps us relax, and, moreover, thanks to physical exercises we stay fit. People who are fit and are not afraid of movement are healthier and, generally, face fewer stress related problems.
Step 15 – a healthy diet
Along with physical exercises, the change of our eating habits for a healthier diet helps us avoid stress related to our health, and various other problems. What is more, scientific research proves that unhealthy, fatty foods are responsible for increased stress levels.
Step 16 – giving up work
This is the most extreme step to eliminate stress from our everyday lives, but at the same time, it can be the only way to free ourselves completely from stress. Unfortunately, many people cannot afford the luxury to quit their work, even though the job might be a big stress factor for them. Being unemployed and having difficulties to make ends meet are also the causes of stress. However, in some cases, such a decision makes life simpler, and it can make a person happier than before.
Every one of us is perfectly aware of what stresses us most. We leave up to you to choose the best technique of coping with stress. We believe that once you implement healthy habits into your lives, you will, to a large extent, eliminate stress. Moreover, you will make your life simpler and more pleasant.
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