Life can be challenging at times with demands and expectations for everything you have to manage.
Many people struggle to manage their daily lives. It’s easy to feel like you’re not good enough, to feel guilty about everything you should have done, and in this way, end up in a negative spiral.
Stress is not only negative
Stress is a natural reaction that we humans need to mobilize. Among other things, we need some adrenaline in the body before doing a presentation to perform better.
Stress is therefore not inherently harmful, but it becomes so if it exceeds your ability to cope and persists over a long period.
There is a difference between being normally stressed and experiencing long-term stress that settles in the body.
There are over 300 different symptoms of stress.
The most common are:
- Tension / muscle tightness
- Impaired immune system / disease
- Sleep problems
- Low energy
- Reduced performance
- Hurried / unable to calm down
- Feeling guilty
- Dissatisfaction / depression
Having insight into what is going on, and acknowledging what is happening provides the opportunity for better stress management in everyday life. Negative thoughts and feelings can contribute to amplifying the experience of stress.
If you want to deal with stress in a good way, it’s important to understand what you are going through
1) What triggers stress in me?
- Which situations are most challenging?
- What stresses you / drains your energy?
- How do you react: What emotions, physical reactions and negative thoughts arise in the situation?
Once you understand and accept what is happening, you can find coping strategies that works for you.
2) Focus on your achievements
Turn your thoughts outwards. Finding alternative thoughts is another way to manage.
If something at work didn’t go as you expected (for example giving a presentation), you can find other things you managed in a very good way that day.
- It’s often about simple techniques, like shifting your attention to something else.
- Focus on your achievements and what you are grateful for.
3) Practice self-compassion
Do not give your inner critic free rein.
We are often very self-critical, but self-compassion can be practiced. You can practice listening less to your inner critic and having a more friendly tone to yourself.
Challenge yourself on the negative assumptions you have.
Ask yourself:
- Do I have a basis for thinking this way?
- What would a friend say to me?
- Does the negative thought you have reflect the actual situation?
4) Find a balance in your everyday life.
- Acknowledge that life is demanding.
- Accept that everything won’t be perfect. Focus on what you accomplish.
- Make active choices about what you prefer to spend time on, and set concrete goals for mastery.
- Look at situations where you receive praise or have accomplished something during the day and how you achieved it.
- Be active, exercise, and sleep well.
In challenging situations, it can be helpful to focus outward rather than inward on your own discomfort. You can achieve this through mindfulness training.
5) Learn strategies to manage stress.
Take a mental break. Practice being more present here and now.Breathing exercise can, for example, have a relaxing and calming effect, while relaxation exercise can be helpful for tension in the body or worries.
Some people find help in using relaxation exercises, breathing exercises or going to yoga. The most important thing is that you have to find a coping strategy that suits you.
A good tip is to familiarize yourself with different coping strategies. Try them and find out what works best for you.
We’ve compiled various helpful techniques that you can utilize when you encounter challenging or stressful situations.
