Dealing With Stress
I thought today I would share how now, as a woman facing her forties, I try to manage my own stress levels. Now a lot of this post will be common sense and nothing earth shattering. Please know that I am not claiming in any way to be an expert. I am merely speaking from my own personal experiences in the hope they may help out someone else who may be feeling the pressures of life at the moment.
Here's the rub...stress can be a good thing and help us deal with circumstances we find ourselves in, however, as with Chocolate, too much and it can cause us harm. That's why it is important to be able to recognise the symptoms of stress in ourselves and develop a tool kit we can call upon to help us through the moment. Here I share what I've learnt about myself and how I cope with stress.
Step 1 - Recognising Stress Signals
Whether we know it or not we start to feel and behave in certain patterns when stress levels start to rise. It is good to take time to try to notice how you react as your stress levels increase. This will help you recognise sooner when you are heading down that road. It is far easier to turn back at the start of than journey that later on.
For me I feel it in my gut - literally! I get the proverbial butterflies of anxiety and they can keep me awake at night (another sign). I notice I get snappier with my family and colleagues at work - thinning patience is another of my signs. I have noticed that my attention span starts to narrow and I get easily distracted. My focus slips and I struggle to achieve what I need to in the working day.
Step 2 - Learn Coping Strategies
When the above begins for me, I try my best to take a step back from the situation and get perspective on it. This can be hard, so I often use my partner and close friends as a sounding board. Just stepping back and looking at the stress-causer(s) from a different perspective can often help me see a new way through the issue. This is especially the case with work related stuff.
As distraction is my enemy at work when I'm feeling stress build up, I utilise to do lists like a maniac! I start each day writing down the 4 or 5 work related items I need to get done and loosely apply a priority to them. Now truthfully I hardly ever complete the whole list, but when I feel my mind start to wonder I go back to the list again and again - it pulls me right back on track.
Outside the office I try and take some time for myself. This helps get perspective on a situation and hopefully helps me realise that the hard times will lead to better times again and not to worry so much. Easier said than done, but I find choosing my attitude to the situation often helps me turn my perspective around and be able to handle it or even better eliminate what is stressing me out. Taking time for myself can be as simple as walking the dog or having a pamper night at home.
I try to avoid negative coping strategies as they can further compound the issue. In the past my mistakes have included finding comfort in bad foods (want chocolate now!), mistaking being lazy for relaxing me time and the big one...severe retail therapy! All these give you a quick reprieve from the stress causer but will not help you deal with it in the long term, so avoid if possible.
Step 3 - Know When To Get Help
I'm personally very lucky not to have got to this stage in my life (as yet anyhow!), but I know so many people that have. As I said earlier everyone has a different limit and sometimes when that limit is reached the only way to overcome it is to get external help. I have linked below some great organisations that are there to help people, but you can also speak to your Doctor.
As I said previously I can only talk about my own experiences and how I deal with stress. I make no claims on being an expert and there are lots of other sources of advice and support out there should you need it. Still I hope you may have found this useful in some way.
What techniques do you use to handle stress in your everyday life? Please comment below as you can never have too many ideas!
Links:
http://www.sane.org.uk/
http://www.samaritans.org/
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
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