Everybody faces stress, but some seem to manage it better than others. In fact a little bit of stress can be healthy and increase productivity. I always compare stress to a finally tuned guitar string. It has to be under the right tension to hit the correct note. If it is too loose it just hangs there and is completely ineffective, but if you wind it too tight it will eventually snap.

Sounds a bit like working to a deadline to me!

Anybody who says they don’t face stress is in denial, which means that the best thing to do is learn how to manage it effectively. Now you can read a long book about it, but probably you don’t have time to do that – in which case it may even add to your stress. Alternatively you can try the following four methods:

If it is Passed it is Past

None of us have a DeLorean and can go back in time. We cannot unmake mistakes or change the course of our past. There is no point of making ‘what if…’ scenarios in our brains. Accept the past has gone and we can only affect our present and our future. Learn from the past to try to avoid making the same mistakes but don’t dwell on it.

Depersonalise the Stress

Stress, other than in the context mentioned in the introductory section, is all too often a negative emotion and this needs arresting before it takes us down. One of the most effective ways of doing this is to imagine the stressful situation is happening to someone else. What advice would you give? What kind of action plan would you draw up? Whatever you come up with is as valid for you as for your theoretical third person. Focus on that plan and not on your emotion. What you have done is reframed the experience from a subjective one to an objective one and thus removed the stress from it.

Time Management

Getting on top of managing your time is key, even if it means reducing the amount of stuff you do. Time management also means getting enough sleep. Get into the habit of being punctual or even a few minutes early. Get ahead of your time and don’t overplan. At the same time don’t leave significant blocks of inactivity that can lead to lethargy. Managing your time also means addressing your work / life balance.

Have a Long Bath

This is my favourite one. I am talking about the kind of bath that you lie in and luxuriate. It has to be a bath and not a shower. Stay in till you start going (more!) wrinkly and even when the water gets cold use your foot to turn the hot tap on to make the temperature more comfortable. You will find one of two results of taking such a bath. You will doze off – in which case you needed a time out to relax or your mind will clear and consequently your thinking too. A solution to whatever is causing your stress might just pop into your head or at the very least your brain has a reset and will be ready to go again.

Summary

So in conclusion these four areas cover our main stress releasing needs. That is letting go of the past, not allowing emotion to cloud our decision making, managing time – our most important asset and relaxing the body to alleviate mental tension. These are the four most essential areas.

Some will say take up exercise, and I agree this too his good, but in terms of the mind it has similar results to the long bath and then you need to have a shower afterwards anyway. The long bath rather than exercising to reduce stress (don’t get me wrong exercise is good) is just simply better time management!

Enjoy – don’t get stressed and stay safe.