Managing Stress

Stress, it’s a word that’s thrown around a lot. As lives get busier and technology advances, we’re finding it harder and harder to switch off and de-stress.

Lots of stress arises from work, but it’s important to manage this to a healthy level and there are ways to do this both at work and outside of work.

So how can you manage stress?

Understand it: Not all stress is bad, in its simplest form it’s your body reacting to a situation change. Short-term stress can actually be helpful and increase your performance, making you feel more energised and help you get results.

However, too much stress can be bad. When it starts to negatively affect your life, health and well-being, it’s important to confront it as soon as possible.

Identify it: Stress can feel very different to different people – you may feel anxious, uninterested, irritable, like you can’t switch off or just not yourself. Stress can even cause physical problems such as struggling to sleep, headaches or chest pains.

When it begins to overwhelm you, take a step back and try to remove yourself from the situation. This can help to gain perspective of the situation, allowing you to prioritise what’s important and reframe your thoughts.

Challenge it: Try to pinpoint exactly what is causing you stress, is it one thing in specific or is your workload simply too big? From this, try to identify areas that you can change, and try to find a practical solution. This could be reassigning work, taking on fewer projects, or adjusting your work-life balance.

Accept it: It can be so easy to blame ourselves and get caught up in the moment when things aren’t going to plan. Sometimes, a situation is well beyond your control and while this in itself is stressful, it can be freeing to just accept it. There’s only so much you can do and it’s important to remember that.

Look after you: Maintaining a healthy life outside of work is essential to help manage stress but can often be overlooked. Getting a good night’s sleep may be harder than it sounds, but it helps your body and mind to recover, better preparing you to deal with difficult situations.

Being active is also important for your physical and mental health – taking regular walks and getting some fresh air is a great way to do this.

And remember, being stressed isn’t a bad thing - but by learning to manage it will help you to be more productive and feel better!