While you may now have several tools for managing change, it’s important to address any lingering stress you might feel. Stress can be both positive and negative; however, excessive negative stress can adversely affect your mental and physical health. Channelling stress energy in constructive ways can lead to remarkable accomplishments, but when negative stress accumulates, it can hinder productivity, cause fatigue, and diminish motivation. If stress becomes overwhelming and interferes with your ability to bounce back, consulting your doctor may be necessary.
For everyday stressors, here are some quick and effective strategies to help lower your stress levels:
- Deep Breathing: Take a few moments to practice deep breathing exercises. Inhale slowly through your nose, hold for a few seconds, and exhale through your mouth. This can help calm your nervous system.
- Physical Activity: Engage in regular exercise, even a short walk can boost your mood and relieve tension.
- Mindfulness and Meditation: Spend a few minutes each day practicing mindfulness or meditation. This can help you stay grounded and focused.
- Time Management: Organize your tasks and prioritize them. Break projects into smaller, manageable steps to reduce feelings of being overwhelmed.
- Connect with Others: Talk to friends, family, or colleagues about your feelings. Sharing your experiences can provide relief and perspective.
- Limit Caffeine and Sugar: Reducing your intake of caffeine and sugar can help stabilize your energy levels and mood.
- Get Enough Sleep: Ensure you’re getting adequate rest. Sleep is essential for managing stress and maintaining overall health.
- Engage in Hobbies: Spend time doing activities you enjoy. This can serve as a productive distraction and boost your mood.
- Practice Gratitude: Take a moment each day to reflect on things you are grateful for. This can help shift your focus from stressors to positive aspects of your life.
- Set Boundaries: Learn to say no when necessary to avoid overcommitting yourself.
By implementing these strategies, you can effectively manage stress and enhance your overall well-being.
Visualize
Use positive imagery to boost your mood and enhance your visible performance. In your mind, picture a place that you love. Feel the sunshine on your face, or the breeze on your skin. See the things that you enjoy in great detail. If you are getting ready for a presentation or an interview, visualize yourself performing it perfectly, so that when you get to the event your mind thinks you have done it before. (This is a technique used by athletes and peak performance coaches.)
Music
Music has the power to soothe or to give us energy. It actually has healing power, too. Find a type of music that relaxes you, and play it when you need to calm down. When you feel tired and listless, play some rousing music (rather than relying on caffeine or other stimulants) to give you a pick-up.
Acupressure and Massage
Holding a fingertip to the point of most pain or tension and pressing very hard into the offending muscle for up to a minute can avert a headache or relieve tension. Have a friend or spouse learn how to do massage therapy and/or acupressure on tense muscles, since daily treatment is better than once or twice a month.
Laughter
Laughter is the best medicine of all. A good belly laugh can lower blood pressure, slow your adrenaline, and reverse the stomach acid that comes with negative responses. Be on the lookout for jokes and cartoons you can share with family and friends. For a smaller dose, find a cartoon or picture that always makes you smile and post it near your desk. (Just make sure it is appropriate for all audiences!)
Replace Worry with Problem Solving
Focus on what you can do, and then go ahead and do it. Chronic worriers tend to focus on what they cannot do, what should be happening, or how things are going wrong. Replace worry with problem solving so that you identify where you can step in. Then, stop waiting for the perfect time and just get on and do it.
Meditation
The purpose of meditation is to free your mind from its normal busy activities. Several different techniques can be used. Some people use a word as a focal point (a mantra), while others suggest you focus on a color, your breathing, an abstract concept, or an object.
Here is a good process for meditation. Sit quietly with your eyes closed and relax all your muscles from head to toe. Become aware of your breathing. Breathe through your nose easily and naturally, in and out… Begin to silently repeat the word you have chosen or focus on the color you have chosen. In and out… Let distracting thoughts pass through your mind. Continue doing this for 15 to 20 minutes.
Deep Breathing
Loosen your clothes, close your eyes, mentally relax your body, and take 10 or more deep breaths. Your goal is to breathe into the bottom of your lungs (where the oxygen is readily absorbed), not the usual upper lung breathing we do. Put your hand on your stomach and feel it move as you breathe in in order to make sure you are getting the air in good and deep. We call this diaphragmatic breathing because you are using your diaphragm muscle to breathe. When people are experiencing anxiety they are most often breathing into the upper area of their lungs rather than the bottom.
Each time you exhale, count silently: “one,” after the first breath, “two,” after the second breath, etc., up to at least 10. If you lose count or find yourself working on thoughts as they pass through your mind, start your count over again. When you are finished, you should feel more calm and relaxed. (Your blood pressure will go down temporarily, too.) If you are in a meeting, on the phone, or dealing with a customer, count in your head.
