At some point in our busy lives, we are likely to experience stress whether it comes from our jobs or our personal lives or somewhere else. With this in mind here are 10 stress-busting tips to follow:
- Exercise regularly – whilst exercise won’t make your stress disappear completely it will give you the space to clear your thoughts and deal with situations much more calmly.
- Take control of any problems/issues that you face – there is a solution to every problem. If you constantly go around thinking there is nothing, I can do about my problem then this will make your stress worse. Often finding a solution to a problem can make you feel so much better.
- Ensure that have a good support network of friends, family and colleagues around you as a problem shared is a problem halved as the saying goes. Also, the activities we do with friends and family can help us relax and in turn relieve our stress.
- Set some time aside for some ‘me time’ – in our busy working lives, we often have little time to do hobbies/activities that we enjoy doing. Try setting some time aside each week to enjoy some me time and don’t get tempted to work late instead. Think of it as a regular appointment each week.
- Set yourself goals and challenges such as learning a new language, having a go at painting or sculpture or photography or mastering using a computer. This can help to increase your confidence which in turn will help you to manage your stress.
- Maintain a healthy diet and avoid relying on alcohol, smoking or caffeine to get you through the day. Whilst these may make you feel better in the short term, they won’t help you long term to manage your stress.
- Take time to help other people – there is evidence to suggest that helping people through volunteering etc has the benefit of putting our own into perspective so that we see that they are not as bad as we first thought. This, in turn, can help us to manage our stress and feel better about ourselves.
- Aim to work smarter by prioritising those tasks that are most important and will make a real difference if not done. Leave the lower priority tasks until the more pressing jobs have been done. Recognise that it is okay not to have completed all the tasks during the day. Accept that your email inbox or in-tray will never be empty and no matter how hard you work or how much overtime you do you will give get rid of all the work. It is more important for your wellbeing and stress to get out and enjoy your life.
- Aim to have a positive outlook on life and be grateful for the things that you have and don’t always look for the negative side. Try to think each day of events/activities that you have enjoyed.
- Recognise that there will be things in life you will be unable to change and accept this. Shift your focus onto the aspects of your life that you can change such as finding a new job if you hate your job or boss or if you feel that you have no work-life balance, do something about it such as taking up a hobby.
Have you got any stress management techniques that have helped you deal with the everyday stresses? If so, why not share them in the comments below so that everyone can benefit from your tips and see this as your good deed for the day.