You’re in a technological innovation career and feel overwhelmed. What are the best ways to manage stress?

Identifying your stressors is a crucial step in managing stress, especially in a technological innovation career, which can be fast-paced and demanding. This process involves taking stock of the situations, tasks, or interactions that consistently lead to feelings of stress or anxiety. By pinpointing these specific stressors, you can then develop targeted strategies to address them, such as delegating tasks, setting clearer boundaries, or seeking additional training or resources to handle challenging aspects of your work more effectively.

Identifying your unique stressors can be quite challenging on your own. It may require some self-reflection and having a personal coach, mentor or even a counsellor specialising in cognitive behavioural therapy to uncover your thinking patterns. But before that investment, or any other expense, I would invest your time in "quiet time", e.g. going on a walk without listening to e.g. a podcast, mindfulness type of experiments at home and outdoors. Only then, it is possible to take stock of where the overwhelm is coming from and later on identify strategies to address the stressors.

Entenda a origem de seus estresses, reconhecendo como sua história pessoal influencia suas rea??es diárias. Reflita sobre suas motiva??es e busque autoconhecimento para lidar com press?es, especialmente em profiss?es criativas. Aceite que o estresse é parte da vida e veja os erros como oportunidades de aprendizado. Invista tempo em si mesmo, no final você é a causa de todos os seus problemas e também a solu??o deles.

Prioritizing and planning are essential strategies for managing stress, particularly in a field as dynamic as technological innovation. This involves evaluating your tasks and responsibilities to determine which are most urgent and important, and then organizing your workload accordingly. By doing so, you can focus your energy on high-priority tasks without being overwhelmed by less critical ones, ensuring that your efforts are both efficient and effective.

I use some of these tactics when I need to prioritize tasks, and reduce stress: 1) Make a to-do list and keep the tasks to a minimum: 3 or 4. Good old pen and paper or sometimes Kanban board can help. 2) 80/20 rule: focus on the 20% of tasks that will deliver 80% of your desired outcomes. 3) the 2-minute rule: if a task will take less than 2 minutes, don’t hesitate—do it immediately. If it will take longer, schedule it for a more appropriate time. 4) Practice deep work: find a dedicated, uncluttered workspace. Utilize techniques like the Pomodoro method to focus on working for 90 minutes, followed by a break. Turn off notifications on your phone to avoid distractions. 5) Start with easier tasks to gain momentum, and then tackle the rest.

Communicating and collaborating effectively are key in managing stress within a technological innovation career. Openly discussing your workload, expectations, and any challenges you're facing with your team or supervisor can lead to practical support solutions, such as redistributing tasks or adjusting deadlines. Collaboration fosters a supportive work environment where resources and ideas are shared, making daunting projects more manageable and reducing the isolation that can exacerbate stress.

As a technology scout, I help companies find innovative solutions and providers. Once tasked with delivering a stressful project just before the holidays, my solution was clear: communicate with both the client and my team members. Ensuring clear communication with the client aligned priorities and expectations. By communicating with team members, I found extra support, enabling us to deliver the project on time without issues. We are a distributed workforce spanning three countries and working with clients globally, communication is never an issue thanks to the internet.

Find a new body practice and do it for at least 3 months to see changes and learn new skills. Some examples: tango or couple dance if you need to explore your leader or follower skills, martial arts if you need to tap into your fire and method, gaga dance to develop a new self-image, and impro theater if you want to explore your fun and no-matter-if-it-is-right-or-wrong side. Find a great embodiment coach to choose the right practice you need right now.

What I’ve found helpful to myself: 1. Schedule regular breaks during work to clear your mind. 2. Engage in deep-breathing exercises to reduce stress. 3. Delegate tasks effectively to avoid burnout. 4. Establish boundaries for work-life balance. 5. Pursue hobbies or activities outside of work. 6. Consider mindfulness or meditation practices. 7. Foster a supportive team culture for shared responsibilities. 8. Prioritize sleep to ensure optimal cognitive function. 9. Attend industry events to stay inspired and network. 10. Reflect on accomplishments to boost motivation.

Do yoga. The beauty of it is you don't need to go to a fancy yoga studio. The objective is to be in a peaceful environment where you can move your body, breathe, and connect your body & mind. If you start with 5-10 minutes of meditation and visualization exercise, your day will be completely different. This is how I managed to finish my PhD when my supervisor suddenly passed away, dealt with my toxic first full-time work environment, survived the pandemic first-time-motherhood and stayed focused for my recent promotion. Simply do it.

carry out hobbies that work on aspects of memory and disconnection from work, such as games with the family, puzzles or something like that

Grab your mountain bike and take a nice and engaging ride. Select your favorite tour for that and use to ride through a green forrest. Have fun and enjoy your life.

En mi experiencia, manejar el estrés implica adoptar hábitos específicos. He encontrado que limitar la cafeína y asegurarme de dormir al menos 6 horas cada noche son pasos cruciales. Una dieta equilibrada, enfocándome en reducir los carbohidratos simples y priorizar los complejos, junto con al menos 30 minutos de actividad física diaria, incluso con una caminata larga es suficiente. Y por último, tomarse 15 minutos en la ma?ana para disfrutar del sol en la naturaleza o un parque me ayuda a recargar energías. Estas prácticas, basadas en mi propia experiencia, me han sido de gran ayuda para reducir los niveles de estrés.