Stress management tips: simple self training ideas

Stress is at the root of many illnesses. So managing the stress in your life, both at work and in your personal life, should be at the top of your priorities. Leading the busy lives that many of us do, getting professional help for this is not even an option. It would just add more stress to an already overbooked schedule! There is help available though. You can incorporate into your daily routine several simple, self-produced, practices to reduce stress.

Recognize Triggers

Knowing what we as individuals consider stress inducers is the first step in managing our stress. If we are aware of what pushes us over the edge, we can sometimes avoid it in whole, or at least part. One example: If you are consistently late for the morning meeting, ask yourself why. Are you just ‘running late’ morning after morning, or are you avoiding it for a specific reason? If it is the latter, who or what are you avoiding. Can it be resolved in some manner so you deal with the stress once instead of repeating it day after day?

Recognize Stress

Many of us have stress in an over abundant amount and, unbelievably, do not even recognize it. Ignoring it will not make it go away. We must first acknowledge it so we can treat it. If a situation, or person, can cause stress, it, or they, are most likely not going anywhere without some type of intervention.

Techniques to Deal with Stress

There are some simple tasks that we can do as individuals, to help control the stress in our lives:

Worry Journal

A worry journal is exactly what it sounds like. Keep a journal to write your worries. By doing this, you have both acknowledged them and have eliminated a second common worry, that you will forget something.

Breathe

Breathe, you ask? Yes, as simple as this sounds, when we are met with an unexpected jolt of stress, many of us breathe in and forget to let go, literally, causing physical pressure. Take stock of your physical self, breathing your main priority, and adjust until you are doing it calmly.

Project the Stress Elsewhere

Those stress balls for squeezing, or other similar object actually work if used properly. If you know things are heating-up on the stress level, grab one and give it some repetitive squeezes. Think about what you are doing, about the process, and along with the Breathe technique, think calm. Keep in mind that our bodies often do what our minds suggest to them to do.

Exercise and Diet

I am sorry if you do not want to hear this, but a healthy body does promote a happy one. Beat stress where it starts by living as healthy a lifestyle as you are willing.

Avoid Negativity

Someone once told me, that if they could just eliminate all the mean people in there life, their stress would be one-hundred-percent eliminated along with them. All right, we know we cannot possibly exclude all the people from our lives that cause us stress, but we may be able to on at least some levels. Our spouses, children, and boss are most likely here to stay, but how about an extremely annoying co-worker. Could we transfer to a different department? On the other hand, better yet if you like where you are at, could they transfer? Not as far-fetched an idea as you might think. One creative fellow I know recommended just such a co-worker for a promotion!