Image courtesy of Becky Wetherington’s photostream
As I sit at my desk on this mid-July day, I look around and notice a certain type of energy. Everyone is typing away, shifting around, answering phone calls and working at feverish pace. People are moving and talking even faster than normal, trying to beat deadlines and complete what needs to be done. Why, you ask? Well, folks, it is none other than Convention season—the final stretch before our big event occurs and there’s a lot to be accomplished. Though everyone is excited, they can’t seem to ignore that burning, underlying feeling at the bottom of their stomachs, otherwise known as stress.
Stress is not only ubiquitous in the workplace, but also prevalent outside of the work world. When dealing with stress, it is common to feel overwhelmed, anxious, tense and frustrated. Some people may experience cognitive symptoms, emotional symptoms, physical symptoms, behavioral symptoms or all of the above. Because this condition can be so rampant in our everyday lives, it is important to remember these three quick tips that will help you reduce stress, allowing you to work and live at your absolute best:
1. Create a plan to manage your time: Do you have so much on your plate that you’re starting to feel drained? Sometimes acknowledging all that you need or want to do can help you figure out how to manage everything. If you have several daunting assignments at work, write down what these tasks are and when they are due. Then, create a schedule of when you will set aside time to work on them. Making an agenda is an easy, simplistic way to show you that completing these assignments are possible and equips you with a plan to do so!
2. Take care of your well-being: You can be one step closer to improving your mental health by first improving your physical health. As you know, stress can have all sorts of negative impacts on your body and it’s important to take care of your well-being. Exercise is a great way to relieve stress and increase endorphins, or you could improve your mood by calling a friend, writing in a journal, reading or listening to music. Finally, the most important ways you can increase your health and happiness are by consuming a good diet and getting enough sleep. These both have an extensive effect on your mood and can help you eliminate stress.
3. Stay positive: Finally, it is incredibly important to stay positive when experiencing these difficult feelings. Some effective ways to do this are reframing your problem and looking at the big picture. If you view your stressful situation in a more positive light and ask yourself if it is really worth getting upset over, you could get a better grip on your situation and then start to feel better about your predicament. Changing your mood and viewpoint will help you realize that everything will be okay and worrying can only negatively affect you.
If you feel overwhelmed the next time you have a big project or need to make difficult life decision, be sure to try these quick tips. Stress can be difficult to combat, but it isn’t impossible. No matter what causes it, I hope you feel better prepared to handle the evils of stress and wish you the best of luck in doing so!