How to prevent or deal with stress?
Each person experiences stress in a different way, depending on both its origin and personal resources. Here are 5 general tips that can benefit the way you face your day, which serve to prevent stress before it occurs, as well as to deal with it when we are already experiencing it.
Take stock of your day and turn it from negative to positive. Take a couple of minutes at the end of the day to acknowledge what went wrong and what went right. Choose one of each or, alternatively, make a list of 3 positive things about your day.
Be aware of your abilities: strengths and weaknesses. Just because you can’t achieve everything doesn’t mean you’re not worth it.
Work on your circles of control: recognize what things are under your control and what are not; define them and work on what you do have control over.
Diaphragmatic breathing: at the beginning of the day, or before a stressful situation that requires more cognitive resources.
Visualization of your day (agenda): define daily tasks and objectives. Differentiate: important, medium and “I hope I have time”.
When the stressful situation is already there, define the problem: describe it; is there anything you can really do? E.g.: if overtime/late hours are a stressor for you, set out your workday beforehand and share it.
We strongly emphasize that if you are already in a situation of prolonged stress, and/or you have tried different management techniques and are not seeing any results, ALWAYS go to a professional or support network, as the main tool to work on mental wellness is to communicate it and work on it as soon as possible.