The Pocket Guide to Managing Stress

By Jeff Davidson

1.???? At least half the battle in alleviating stress is simply becoming more aware of how you react to situations.

2.???? Many professionals focus excessively on details when working under stress; this causes them to miss important deadlines. Let go of lower-level decisions whenever possible.

3.???? It's harder to feel stressed when you're looking good. Take care of your body, and take pride in your appearance.

4.???? It's less stressful to be who you really are, as opposed to attempting to be someone who you're not.

5.???? Give yourself a break by helping someone else with their problems. You will feel better about yourself, and possibly put your own stress in perspective.

6.???? To win the war on stress requires only small consistent steps. Take a breath, walk down the hall, get some water, etc

7.???? Make your boss look good – he or she will appreciate it, and you'll have one less potential stressor, for a while.

8.???? One good laugh can cause your whole temperament to change, plummeting the stress you feel back down to a manageable level.

9.???? Let someone else choose when the selection choice is of no consequence. The other party will be pleased, and you'll have saved yourself for more important decisions.

10.? If given enough time, people will usually apologize for blowing up at you undeservedly. Strive to keep from overreacting yourself.

11.? For most people, much of the stress they encounter is self-induced. Evaluate your situation and decide which stressors are not really important.

12.? Evaluate yourself. Be honest; write down the good things as well as the bad. Doing so will give you greater focus and highlight areas where improvement is needed.

13.? Narrow your priorities, and focus on what's important. Having a sense of purpose can help to reduce or head off stress.

14.? Avoid making promises you can't keep. Keep the promises you make. That way, you won't "owe" anything to others.

15.? If someone tells you to "take it easy," consider following the advice. Often their objective view is more accurate than your subjective one.

16.? Take time for yourself, even when you don't think you have the luxury. Give yourself quiet time throughout the day.

17.? When barreling down the highway alone in your car, belt out a song. Some "therapeutic" singing may help reduce stress.

18.? If you receive unwanted mail from a party after informing them several times that you no longer wish to receive their mail, carefully wrap a brick and attach their postage-paid return envelope to it.

19.? Allow yourself five minutes to worry about something, then put it in the back of your mind, and move on to what's next.

20.? Look for the best in others. People appreciate the gesture, and doing so shifts your focus from yourself and what you're up against.

21.? Screen your calls. You don't have time and you probably don't want to spare the energy to be available to everybody.

22.? You have the option of not answering the door and staying focused on the task or activity at hand.

23.? Look for ways to make yourself indispensable on the job. Then, in case of a downturn in business, your organization will still wish to retain you.

24.? Contemplate pleasant thoughts. No matter how much stress you face on the job, a glimmer of a pastoral scene, or something amusing from your childhood can help alleviate tension.

25.? Be true to yourself; don't jump off a cliff just because the lemmings are doing it. As the old saying goes, follow the beat "of your own drum."

26.? Combat perfectionism – you are not perfect. Nobody is. Don't beat yourself up mentally for not always being at your best.

27.? Remember, it could always be worse; seek the good points in everything and focus on what you can do rather than what is out of your hands.

28.? Even when you're under, treat your children as full-fledged human beings. They don't deserve to be "dumped on," and you don't have to go down that path.

29.? Build up a whatever savings you can. Having a cash reserve on hand can help alleviate short term monetary concerns.

30.? Strive for objectivity. Many situations that seem dire will improve with time, and some may disappear altogether. Most will be well out of memory in a month.

31.? Accept input and advice from trusted others. They can help save you time and effort, and even provide a whole new approach to current challenges.

32.? Be conscious of what you say to yourself. Negative self talk is easy to engage in but not helpful and productive.

33.? Compete with yourself, not others; you are your own best competition. Challenge yourself to perform better than you have in the past.

34.? Never mind the symptoms – get to the root causes of challenging issues you face and you'll be that much closer to resolution.

35.? When facing an exceedingly tough issue, ask yourself, has anyone faced this before, and if so determine what progress they were able to achieve.

36.? Everyone gets stressed out, it's part of the human experience; the trick is not to stay there long.

37.? Procrastination is stressful because of the growing numbers of incomplete tasks. Tackle the hardest tasks first, when you have the most energy.

38.? Take some long, deep breaths whenever you feel like it. Your body craves oxygen, and your subsequent performance is bound to improve

39.? To be happy more often, be less concerned with what others think about you, and more so with what you want to achieve or how you want to feel.

40.? Rule your office, desk, and files. Keep back issues of publications from collecting. Retain business cards only if you know or feel that you'll use them.

41.? Do something – even if it's a small action like recycling – to feel like you're having a positive impact and have control of your immediate environment.

42.? When you are stressed, find something that makes you smile. Laughter can lower your blood pressure, lighten up your day, and help you to renew your focus.

43.? Nearly half the time, when you're under stress, simply taking a sip of water will immediately make you feel better.

44.? Let your natural rhythms dictate the pace of your life. Go to sleep when you're tired, not because the clock happens to say a particular time.

45.? You can't read, absorb, or take advantage of all the promotions, discounts, and bonus offers you receive in the mail – so don't worry about them.

46.? When stressed, take a hot or cold shower, whatever your preference. Simply being under the shower spout changes your outlook and offers a fresh start.

47.? Beware, the media tends to report on the negative. Refuse to let newspaper reporters, and medai industry vendors add undue stress to your life.

48.? Lack of sleep can lower your immunity, increase your susceptibility to disease, and increase your susceptibility to stressors in the environment. Do you have earplugs?

49.? Go easy on yourself: often the best results start to come a day or two after you thought they would.

50.? Treat new employees with the same respect you show your CEO. Your work relationship will improve because of it and will prove to be less stressful in the long run.

51.? It is always less stressful to under-promise and over-deliver rather than over-promise and under-deliver. Be your word!

52.? Watching television to relax can often increase your stress level. Recognize that the images television propagates are not real.

53.? Late projects always add undue stress to your life. Start a small portion of a project ahead of time to familiarize yourself with the task at hand.

54.? Pare down your paper piles. Unnecessary clutter contributes to an unproductive environment. Open your mail over the wastebasket if it helps.

55.? To avoid stress, control your correspondence. Don't respond to every joke that co-workers send or to unsolicited offers.

56.? Constantly evaluate your levels of stress. When you ask, "How did I get into this?" offer yourself a thoughtful, extended answer.

57.? Don't rush truly important things. Life expectancy is already high and will probably grow higher… you'll probably have all the time you need.

58.? Sometimes the novel ways of dealing with stress are best. Try aromatherapy – a bit of lavender or vanilla will work. Or get a real, professional massage.

59.? Don't try to do more than one thing at once. Prioritize your tasks and handle them one at a time.

60.? Plan for the future, but make the best of today. Choose to feel good about yourself, your life, and your current situation.