How do you manage stress when problem-solving?

Feeling stressed during an interview is natural; a little bit of stress may even help you perform better during an interview. However, too much stress can paralyze your analytical skills and impede finding creative solutions during interviews. When I notice stress, I do the following things: 1. Acknowledge the stress, and let the feeling subside. You could ask for a minute just to calm your nerves. 2. Return to the moment. You are in an interview, not a war. Your body will relax when you accept this fact. 3. Stop focusing on the results. That time will come later. Now is the time for action, focus on the problem!

I'll talk specifically about managing stress as a Software Engineer. I've been coding for 9+ years and stress is constant due to tight deadlines, changing client requirements, unexpected tasks, and late-night deployments. Here's how I manage: Each morning, I list urgent and important tasks to define a successful day and focus only on them. I set my phone to airplane mode – a top productivity boost – and eliminate distractions. If a problem persists for over an hour, I take a break and return later. I'm not shy to ask for help. Often, someone else has already addressed the challenge you're facing. Regularly updating my manager on progress ensures support when needed and sets clear expectations regarding timelines.

In my thought believe in yourself is the key of dealing with stress. If you will think that you can do it you will be. I found myself in this situation many times and every time I observe myself whenever i had believe in myself I achieved whatever was required

Start by breaking down the problem into smaller, manageable steps. Create a to-do list or an action plan. This can help you feel more in control of the situation. Utilize problem-solving techniques such as brainstorming, SWOT analysis, or decision matrices. These structured approaches can guide your thinking and reduce stress. Replace negative or self-critical thoughts with positive ones. Encourage yourself and remind yourself that you have the skills to handle the situation.

I refocus my attitude to problem-solving. On one hand, issues are stressful because they are something we can't ignore. On the other hand, they are the reason why information systems exist and evolve. They are source of ideas, creativity and exploration. Solving problems is basically the reason why you've been hired, and it's most satisfying thing, so why not try to stop thinking about issues like your personal enemy?

For my day to day execution, I like to break problems in three manageable states, 1. Unknown 2. Straightforward Execution 3. Blocked on Others. 4. Closed All problems start in the Unknown bucket, I start working on them and try to identify action items, each of which either move the Problem in the "Execution state" or "Blocked on Others" state(in case you are collaborating). Once "Execution" is done(could be a fix deploy) and additional Unknowns are presented the problem moves back in the "Unknown stage", and additional action items are discovered. Eventually the problem moves to "Closed". At the start of the day, I always work on the Unknowns, and move to Execution in the later half of the day. This keeps the Problems state clear.

Proper planning is essential. However, the plans have to be realistic. Sometimes strict routines can also cause problems. It must be possible to be flexible about routines when necessary.

It's problem solving for programmers. Then the routine - besides the listed points - is based on versioning and unit testing. Commit and document all experiments. Any attempt is not time lost but more insights on what works what doesn't - and problem refinement. Producing versioned code and documentation will reduce stress (there are results) and increase confidence (problem understanding).

We can have a definite plan for issue which are coming frequently. This can be managed better way by creating effective SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). Creating plan for a sudden unknown issue will be difficult. It is always better to give full attention to what are the changes happening or going into production. Most of the time the recent change cause sudden issues, know the details in depth will help to identify and plan for quick recovery.

In my experience the major contributor to stress is our expectations of the size and complexity of the problem. Soend 90% on the planning and laying out the tasks ahead and 10% pn thw execution. When broken down into tangible chunks problems don’t seem as overwhelming anymore.

Our brain takes time to form new circuits . To speed this up we need to do a quick workout where we should be in the aerobic zone for at least 1 hour everyday. Relaxing by way of taking a short nap and learning something on the opposite side of the brain like if you are a left brained person try right brained stuff like sketching etc and you will eventually end up getting that last connection. The key part is not to focus on that particular problem and let your mind wander . If you look at history, Newton discovered gravity when he was relaxing under an apple tree. Same goes with Archimedies's eurika moment he was talking a tub bath .

Yoga, meditation and breathing exercises are very good but we should do this as daily practise otherwise it may not give 100% result. Better way to come out from this situation is to come out from the room and go for 5 min walk without thinking anything.

Mindfulness helps in many ways. It brings clarity in the mind. This helps in all the stages of programming staring from understanding the problem. Main benefit of mindfulness is its ability to develop positive self-awareness. This can help identifying the cause of stress. It also helps learning, which is necessary (learning skills play a major role in successful programming). Mindfulness can also help to be positively flexible about routines as well as keep an open mind, which helps in creativity.

One great mindfulness exercise is simply going for a 10 minutes walk and has the added benefit of getting you out of the chair for a bit!

I personally put brb on slack and go outside to get fresh air, talk with my family to clear my head. Once I’m back I always feel better on task which got me stuck at the first place

We should trust the team and discus with open mind and seek for advice. An idea can come from anywhere having an open mind help us in acknowledge and work towards it.

Asking for advice and support will be helpful in stressful situation. However, this must be done without eroding the necessary positive self-confidence.

Be the change you want to see. Be supportive to your team , so your team will be loving to support you . answer their questions , and do not hesitate to ask your own questions when you need. knowing you have someone to rely on is a great factor in degrading your stress

Always try to listen more than speaking. Listening gives us more data to reflect on the topic. This helps to Come up with better queries and results in proper feedback

Write down your mistakes so that it will help to find the solution. Celebrate achievements so that it will give more confident for anything coming on your way

The key is to understand that making mistakes is very normal. You can never grow without pushing your limits and making mistakes. Even the shiniest experts you know of didn't make it there without making silliest mistakes. But they are experts because they could recover from these mistakes and took lessons out of them. Just focus on learning from these mistakes and becoming a better engineer each day. Of course you try your best, but don't be afrad of making mistakes, and never be ashamed if you don't success each time. Achieving this mindset would significantly reduce your load, and allow you to have a piece of mind when tackling problems, which would result in higher success

Always celebrate. remember the "baby steps" mentioned earlier ? after each successful step you accomplish, treat yourself. A mug of Latte ? your favorite cheerful piece of music ? give yourself 5 to 10 minutes of celebration after each accomplishment , then back to your work. Learning from your mistakes ? you are assumed to doing this since college at least, but no problem : yes , learn.

You are going to fail before you succeed. Accept this, expect this. The important thing is that you don't retread the same path through the maze. Beyond that, structure your work in small, measurable goals. A vague completion in the future looms, an achievable goal by the end of the day (or even the end of the hour!) energizes.

What I've found working for me is just stopping work altogether and focusing on an entirely different thing. Take a walk. Listen to your favourite music. Talk about entirely different topics. Sometimes your brain just needs downtime from what it's constantly thinking about. If you're stressed and you're constantly trying to hammer at it and fix it, chances are that you'll get more stressed.

I’ve found a number of philosophies to be helpful, all related in subtle, intricate and beautiful ways. Here are a few suggestions: Practice Ho O’ponopono. There are 4 specific ideas here. In practice they can seem as unorthodox as they are lovely. Practice the Four Agreements. Be impeccable with your word. Don’t take things personally. Don’t make assumptions. Always do your best. Practice Covey’s 7 habits. You’ll find similarities here with the 4 Agreements. Consider that life doesn’t happen to you; it happens for you. You are the programmer of your life, write that program. Know that hope runs through fire; faith leaps over it. While counterintuitive, sometimes thinking is the problem. You are now unstoppable!

Balancing stress and work hinges on understanding and controlling our emotions, which originate from our own brain to guide us. Suffering or pain signals a need for change. If unaddressed, this pain escalates. Essentially, prolonged suffering indicates a failure to manage our internal signals. While our brain interprets the world through electrical impulses, crafting our reality, it's crucial to remember that suffering, though real, can be managed with the right perspective.

You can spend time with your loved ones such as your wife, girlfriend or friends. In this way, the stress is reduced by a huge amount.