A few months ago, I was asked to write an article for work and the topic I picked was Stress Management
Why?! One day during lockdown, me and Dan we got to talking about stress. We realised we both had different perspectives and this influenced our stress reaction. Since then, I’ve done a little bit of research into stress and how our perception can effect how we handle stress. In doing so we understood why Dan got very frustrated about stress, and how I take it all in my stride!
Stress (like anything in life) is handled better with an action plan. So here are my tips on how to manage stress, I hope you find it helpful!
Love, Jo-Anne x
Stress Management
In the UK, April was Stress Awareness Month and May was Mental Health Awareness Month (topic: Loneliness) so there has been a huge focus recently about maintaining strong mental health. With Fiscal Year Beginning in full swing, and Fiscal Year End fast approaching, I thought it might be nice to share with you some techniques that might help to ease the pressure!
We all face stress and difficult times in our lives from time to time, and the last 2 years have been particularly stretching for a lot of people so we’re no stranger to stress right now. I was no exception to this – I’ve faced “anticipated” challenges at work with some tricky projects like Site Code and Exchange Rate, but I’ve also been faced with unexpected personal challenges at the same time. So when I was asked to write an article, I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to share some practices that I follow. I hope that you find them helpful!
1. Mindset
Interesting Fact – Did you know that you have a 43% increased risk of dying, if you believe stress is bad for you?! But the good news, you can Make Stress Your Friend and this link takes you to a short TED talk on how you can change your opinion.
2. Preparation
“Anticipated” stress, is where we build up to a stressful situation – such as project implementations or a big milestones in life, and in these cases we’re often prepared with our boxing gloves on to fight through and get to the other side. We can usually see the light at the end of the tunnel which keeps us focused and moving forward.
We can mitigate these types of stress by being prepared, tasks like meal planning, batch cooking healthy meals, taking vitamins and supplements and committing to exercise classes… these are all techniques you can use to fuel your body with the nutrients it needs to manage your stress response and can help you by reducing the likelihood of getting sick from
stress.
3. Reconnection & Recovery
Other times in life, stress catches us by surprise. Whether that’s a natural disaster, a loved one getting sick or a change in personal situation, stress can catch us off guard… and this can be a little more difficult to deal with as we often can’t see that “light at the end of the tunnel” as its out of our control. In these times of stress, things you can do to reduce your stress levels are
things like connecting with others to build your oxytocin levels (also known as “the cuddle hormone”), or taking time out to reset your stress threshold, as explained here by Dr Rangan Chatterjee.
Tea Meditation is a quick and easy way I find to bring back balance when life gets a bit much… its a simple meditation technique which you can do in small pockets of time, and if you don’t drink tea don’t worry! It can be adapted to any simple “every day” task like making toast, or brewing coffee but the idea behind it is to slow down, focus, zone out “the noise” and clear your mind. Meditation is something you can sign up to in many places, and I’ve been taking 1 lunch time per week to attend. If you are also interested, there are lots of resources online and apps you can download for guided meditation.
Wrap Up
I am a huge believer that a positive mind, will bring positive thoughts. So next time you’re faced with a challenging situation, I encourage you to look really hard and find a silver lining… it might not come to you straight away, but I’m certain you’ll find it. Someone gave me this advice when I was 13 years old and it has stayed with me ever since.
Next time something bad happens, I challenge you to find your silver lining