Stress Management Strategies and Tips

Stress is a part of our every day lives and it affects some people more than others. Implementing effective stress management strategies will improve your:

1. Health
2. Well Being
3. Productivity
4. Relationships
5. Outlook on life
6. Sleep Quality

If stress is a constant presence in your life then you likely are not managing your time effectively, which will cause problems in every area of your life as indicated by the list above. According to a recent study done by the American Psychological Association, one third of Americans are living with some form of extreme stress and roughly half of Americans have reported increases in their stress in the last five years. Reviewing stress statistics and trends is actually quite frightening, which is why studying and implementing stress management strategies should be a key focus on your path to becoming a time management ninja.

Breathing

One of the most effective and simplistic stress management strategies is breathing. Think of the last time you were stressed out. I think a perfect example that everyone can relate to is driving. Most people get stressed out at some point when they're driving, which can manifest itself in many ways. Someone cuts you off and you become angry, which creates stress. You run into a traffic jam on your way home or to an important event, which creates stress. The person in front of you is driving too slow (in your humble opinion), which creates stress. All of these outside events constantly bombard us as we're driving and we let it affect us in a negative way.

Now try to remember how your body felt during these times. Your body probably stiffened up, you may have been hunched over the steering wheel, tightly gripping it. Other reactions you experienced from the stress may not have been noticed by you at the time. Your heart rate likely increased, your breathing probably accelerated and your blood pressure shot up. The key is to realize this is happening in the moment and take action.

The next time you find yourself in a stressful situation take stock of how your body feels. Implement this simple breathing strategy to get your body back to a 'baseline' level. Remember, stress management strategies and techniques don't have to be complicated.

1. Acknowledge the stress. As stated above, the first step is to acknowledge that you are in a stressful situation. Don't blame the outside event or other people. Take ownership and realize that you are letting the external event stress you out.
2. Do a mental body scan. How are you physically responding to the stressful situation. Are your muscles tightened? Are you sweating? Has your breathing changed? Are you angry, anxious or frightened?
3. Breathe. Take the time to breathe and really center yourself. First, slowly inhale through your nose letting your abdomen expand. Your body should be completely still other than the in and out movement of your abdomen as you breathe. Clear your head as you do this. Only focus on the breathing. If you find that your mind is shifting back to the stressful event, that's ok. Just re-focus on the breathing. Hold the breath in for a few seconds and slowly exhale through your mouth. Repeat this process 10-15 times.

I find that breathing is one of the most effective stress management strategies that I have implemented in my life. I try to do this at least three to five times a day to help myself relax and perform better.

Exercise

One of the most recommended stress management strategies is exercise. I exercise at least three times a week and it has done wonders for me. I feel better about myself, I'm healthier, it's increased my self confidence and most importantly it's reduced my stress levels. The key here is finding something you enjoy. I personally enjoy running and here's why:

• It gets me outside. I love being outdoors. The rush of wind in my face, the sun beating down on me, the snow softly falling or the rain splashing off me - I love it all. Just being outside in nature calms me down and gives me focus.
• It's a solitary pursuit. Competitive team sports are fine for some, but I love the solitary aspect of running. It's just me and the open road. I set my goals and enjoy pushing myself to go that extra half mile or mile. There's a great sense of accomplishment I feel after going on a long run. I set the goal for how many miles I want to run and I do it. It's really quite simple and that brings me a great sense of peace.
• It energizes me. Going for a quick run in the morning gets me off to a great start. I get a boost of energy, which helps me get through the day. Or, maybe I'm in the office and am in a rut. Going for a run gives me that extra kick and focus. Once I get back from a midday run, I'm typically very productive.
• I'm healthier. I find myself eating better and in general living a much healthier life. This has helped my self-confidence and, well, it just makes me feel better about life in general.

You certainly don't have to take up running, but find some form of exercise and get started now! Create stress management strategies that work for you. Whether it's practicing yoga to playing a weekly pick-up basketball game with your buddies, find something that you enjoy. Also, if you haven't exercised in awhile make sure to start out slowly. In my experience, going from zero to sixty doesn't usually work. You don't want to burn yourself out and end up quitting. Take gradual steps when getting back into exercise and if you haven't exercised in a few years make sure to consult a doctor to make sure you're ok health wise.

Exercise will give you more energy, more focus, which in turn will help you better manage your time and stress levels. You guessed it - this is what being a time management ninja is all about!

Change the Way you React to your Environment

This may be one of the more overlooked stress management strategies, but I will mention it because of the profound positive effects it's had on me. Are you easily irritated? Do you let things get under your skin? Is everyone out to get you or does everyone annoy you? If more often than not you feel this way then you are letting your outside environment affect you too much and it's likely causing you high levels of stress.

Let's go back to the driving example. Visualize yourself in this scenario. You're driving along the highway, minding your own business when out of nowhere a car comes flying across three lanes of traffic ending up about twenty feet in front of you, which just gives you enough time to slam on the breaks so you don't hit him. The driver continues to speed away weaving through traffic like he's driving in the Daytona 500, not a major interstate highway.

So, what do you do?

You likely curse the driver - that's a given. But, what else? Do you get overly angry and want to speed up to 'catch' the driver so you can cut him off just like he did to you? Do you continue to stay angry and let the anger fester long after the driver has passed? He probably didn't give you a second thought so why are you spending more than a second to stress and get angry over the situation?

I'm not saying that you shouldn't react. Everyone will have a negative reaction to this situation, which is fine. The key is letting go. Fine, the driver was a jerk, now let it go. It doesn't do you any good to continue to be angry about it.

How about another example? Your spouse or significant other comes back from the store, but forgets something that you specifically asked he or she to get. Yes, it may be frustrating, but getting overly angry is just going to create unneeded stress, which won't change the fact that the item was forgotten. Again, let it go.

This takes some practice, but I promise that you'll find it to be one of the most effective stress management strategies that you can implement. After awhile you'll automatically reassess a situation when you feel yourself getting irritated or angry. Is this situation really that big of a deal? Can I control it? No....ok, no need to continue stressing about it. Let it go.

Time Management

All of the above are keys reducing stress, which in turn helps your time management. But, it's worth noting that time management itself should be one of your top stress management strategies. When you're unorganized, whether it's at home or at work, you create unneeded stress in your life. Implementing effective time management systems is a must for reducing stress.

Time management in the workplace is another critical strategy to reduce your stress. Clear workplace goals, organizational skills and a plan of where you want your career to go will reduce your stress levels.

Stress and time management go hand in hand. The more time you spend worrying about things, the more time you are wasting. Implement stress management strategies and techniques that reduce your overall stress, make you a more productive person and most importantly help you live a happier and more fulfilled life.

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