Get the better of stress
Don’t let pressure
get to you. Here are ways to work it to your advantage
Stress is unavoidable in modern life, but it doesn’t
have to get you down. Work, money, and family all create daily stress, while bigger
issues like politics and terrorism contribute to our underlying stress levels.
But approach it the right way, and it won’t rule your life —it can even be good
for you. Stress is inevitable; getting sick from it is not.
The perception of stress
With stress, the mind and the body are intrinsically
linked. You can view stress as something that is wreaking havoc on your body
(and it can) or as something that is giving you the strength and energy to
overcome adversity.
Stanford psychologist, Kelly McGonigal who has been a
champion of rethinking stress, notes that the right approach can make you
smarter and stronger. The best way to manage stress isn’t to reduce or avoid
it, but rather to rethink and even embrace it.
Stress inoculation
The best way to get better at stress is to practise
it. Scientists call this “stress inoculation,” and just as exposure to a virus
will inoculate you from contracting a virus a second time, regular exposure to
small amounts of stress can inoculate you from the most detrimental effects of
stress when you suffer a big stressful event in your life. The good news is
that practising stress can actually be enjoyable, even thrilling. The key is to
push yourself out of your comfort zone. Stress inoculation has three phases:
1 Education: Learn
what to expect. If you need chemotherapy, are experiencing a divorce or have
had a setback at work, talk to people who have been through it and learn what
to expect going forward so you can be prepared, rather than being blindsided by
the stressors ahead of you.
2 Rehearsal: While
you can’t rehearse for life’s biggest moments, you can live your life in a way
that prepares you for stress. The point is that you need to rehearse stressful
situations to perform your best under stress.
3 Implementation: When the
stressful event hits, you are prepared. You know what to expect, and you’ve
experienced stressful situations before. You’ve got this.
Don’t just seek support, give it
If you lead a highly stressful life, the solution may
be to add one more task to your daily to-do list. Give back. Research
consistently shows that helping other people and giving social support is a
powerful way to manage the stress in your life and boost your resilience.
Volunteer work, mentoring, listening to a friend who
is struggling — all these can enhance your own ability to manage stress and
thrive.
Lean on loved ones
The pressure of family responsibilities is one of the
most common forms of stress. But during times of stress, our friends and family
members are most likely to give us the support we need to get through it.
The world does not look as challenging with a friend
by your side. For people who study stress, the role of friendship, family and
support networks can’t be overstated. Time and again research shows that social
support is a defining element in our happiness, quality of life and ability to
cope with stress.
—The New York Times
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