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Realize Your Limits Eat Sensibly And |
The Eighteen Ways to Deal with Stress 1. Deal With The Cause. If tension comes from your relationship with a person, talk out your differences. If tension comes from an unfinished task, restructure your priorities so you can get the responsibility part of the way. 2. Talk Out Your Troubles. Talk your problems over with a level-headed person you can trust. It can release pressure, make you feel better, help you see things in a clearer light, and often help you see what you can do about it. 3. Learn To Pace Yourself. You can't be in high gear all the time. ble, allow for rest points. self once you've reached them. Instead of fighting for the CmpossiSet goals and then take time out to reward yourself. 4. g60pe For Awhile. Sometimes, when things go wrong, it helps to escape from the problem for awhile; to lose yourself in a movie, a book, a game, or a brief trip for a change of scene. It is perfectly realistic and healthy to escape long enough to recover breath and balance. But be prepared to come back and deal with your difficulty when you are rnore composed, and when you and others involved are in better condition to deal with it. 5. Realize Your Limits And Plan Around Them. Don't take on more than you can handle. Less stress is caused, in the long run, by turning away tasks than by leaving work unfinished -- that's less stressful on you and on others. 6. Take One Thing At A Time. If you have a number of must-do tasks, tackle them one at a time, in order of their urgency, while setting aside all the rest for the time being. 7. Work Off Your Anger. A physical workout is a great tension releaser. If you feel like lashing out at someone who has provoked you, try holding off that impulse for awhile. Pitch your pent-up energy into some physical activity you like, such as walking, gardening, cleaning art the garage, racquetball, carpentry, or some other do it-yourself project. Working the anger out of your system will leave you much better prepared to handle situations. 8. Give In Occasionally. If you get into frequent quarrels with people, feel obstinate and defiant, give in once in awhile. Stand your ground for what you know is right, but do so calmly and ask yourself "Is this really worth fighting for?" If not, give in. Yield occasionally and you'll usually find that others will too. The result will be relief from tension, the achievement of a practical solution, and a feeling of satisfaction. 9. Do Something for Others. If you feel yourself worrying about yourself all the time, try doing something for somebody else. You'll find this will take the steam out of your own worries and -- even better -- give you a fine feeling of having done well. 10. Eat Sensibly And Get Plenty Of Rest. When your body is run dan, a lot of things look worse than they really are, and your ability to ape with them is also reduced. 11. Don't Try To Be Perfect. Go easy on yourself. Trying for perfection in everything is an open invitation to failure. No one can be perfect in everything. Give the best of your effort and ability, but don't take yourself to task if you can't achieve the impossible; and give yourself a pat on the back for the things you do well. 12. Go Easy With Your Criticism. Don't expect perfection from others. It can only make you feel frustrated, let down, and disappointed when they don't measure up. Each person has his or her own unique virtues, particular short-comings, and special values. Instead of criticizing, seek exit the good points and help his or her self-development. Both of you will be more satisfied and you may gain a better perspective on yourself as well. 13. Give The Other Fellow A Break. When people are under emotional tension, they often feel that they have to "get there first" -- to Pdse out the other person, no matter how trivial the goal is. Competition is contagious, but so is cooperation. When you give the other fellow a break, you very often make things easier for yourself. If he or she no longer fells you are a threat, the other fellow stops being a threat to you. 14. Make Yourself Available. Many of us have the feeling that we are being "left out", slighted, neglected, rejected. Often, however, other people are only waiting for us to make the first move. Instead of shrinking away and withdrawing, it is much healthier to make some of the overtures. Of course, don't push yourself forward on every occasion; there is a middle ground. 15. Plan For Change. Coping with the unexpected is a great source of stress. But you don't have to be caught off guard. You have control over many elements of your life. Whenever possible, plan to avoid too any big changes coming at the same time, and try to accept and prepare for the ievitable changes. 16. Have Fun. Recreation is essential for good physical and mental health. Plan to do something you enjoy as part of a set routine. Whether it be a hobby or a night on the town, regularly schedule something you can throw yourself into with pleasure, forgetting all about your work. 17. Develop A Positive And Outgoing Disposition. If you look at the bright side of things and beyond yourself, you won't concentrate on failure. Positive emotions help fight stress, while negative ones produce or intensify stress. |
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