Stress has become a major contributor to cost of maintenance
of homes and institutions. Even more costly is the effect of stress on personal
health. Stress is a contributing factor to heart disease, strokes, cancer,
liver disease, accidents and suicides.
Constantly reacting to stressful situations without making
physical, mental and emotional adjustments to counter their effect can cause
physical, emotional and behavioral problems often leading to depression.
However, with the following tips, you should be able to
develop more resilience against stress and live a happier, healthier life:
Choose work that you love – Feeling passionate about your
work contributes to a sense of purpose and well-being.
Write down your stress triggers – Make a list of the times
in the past two weeks when you have felt stressed. You may see a pattern linked
to specific places, people and events.
Confront stressful interpersonal situations – If something
someone have done is bothering you, don’t let it escalate. Be courageous and do
something about it. Initiate open and direct dialogue that will result in a
positive outcome for everyone involved.
Consider the big picture – Overwhelming problems at work may
be causing you some sleepless nights, but in comparison, you haven’t been told
you have a terminal illness. That would be stressful. Think about the worse
case scenario and count your blessing – your health, your family, etc.
Compartmentalize – Rather than looking at your work
situation as overall stress, learn to segment situations and events into
components. Deal with each separately.
Put the rest away, mentally in a box or closet, and address them when you are
ready.
Find a way to turn it off – For immediate stress relief,
when you feel your head is going to burst or your heart jump out of your chest,
practice deep-breathing techniques – inhale and exhale slowly while
concentrating on your breath. Establish a practice of taking time out, even
five minutes break can be beneficial.
Engage in positive activities – A varied range of non-work
activities that are different from your work and are in harmony with your
personal and social values can be therapeutic.
Find social support – Don’t hold problems inside, talk it
out with somebody. Putting time and
effort into supportive relationships will add to your emotional health.
Exercise regularly – We all know the benefits of exercise,
the difficulty is building it into our already bust schedule. You don’t have to
spend an hour at the gym to experience the stress-relieving benefits of
physical activity. Even a 15-minute walk or a few minutes of stretching during
your day will reduce stress as well as promote sleep.
Strive for balance – Studies have shown that people place
high priorities on maintaining balance with work and non-work activities. They
understand the importance of family, friends and health, and are not willing to
sacrifice their personal interactions with friends and families for personal
gains.
Following these tips can help you maintain your health and
productivity in the face of constant change, chaos and other responsibilities.
You can then stay committed, feel in control and be challenged, rather than
being overcome be stress.
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