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Don't get stressed out
Managing Stress
The first thing to remember is that a little
stress is not a bad thing!
Good Stress: Stress helps us to get up and face the world,
by giving us a little more energy (adrenalin) when we need it.
This energy helps us to make good decisions quickly and solve
problems efficiently.
In the past, stress , it also helps us face our fears and allows us
to fight or to run away to fight another day.
Bad Stress: Too much stress is
the problem. In today's world, we face extra demands such as
long hours, deadlines, demanding bosses and costly decisions.
This mental stress is bad for us. Too much stress can be
overwhelming and can stop us working efficiently.
What things stress you & how do you cope? By identifying our
stresses, we can start to treat them.
Stressbusters:
Take a tip from the people that face the most
stress - presidents and prime ministers - who use stress management
in 2 ways:
1. to manage the stresses of the job and work more efficiently
2. to take a break and relax effectively, so that they are fresher
for the next day
A "stress buster" is a little rhyme
or acronym that you can easily remember. It makes you realise
that you are stressed and that you can do something about it.
Here are some simple stress busters (with
acronyms).
Managing stress during the job ("ABS
breaks stress"):
- Achieve
- set realistic goals for the day and complete them, so that
you can end the day knowing that you achieved something
- Be
positive - tell yourself you can do it. A negative
attitude just creates more stress, but positive people work
better and longer with less stress
- Smile
- when you feel stressed & depressed - it is impossible to
be unhappy when you are smiling - try it!
Other people's stress ("HA!"):
- Help
others to recognise stress. If other people are
stressed, they will make you more stressed, so work with them
to help reduce everyone's stress
- Avoid
"stress-seekers" - people who think stress is OK and try to put others under constant stress.
Know
your rights - you don't have to put up with excess stress - it
is a known health problem!
Your stress ("3 Don'ts"):
- Don't
ignore it - you need to find out what or who is causing stress
and what you can do about it, even if they are your boss or a
close friend.
- Don't
be ashamed - talk about it with family, friends, your GP etc.
- Don't
try to eat or drink for comfort - you need good food and good
exercise, not cakes and alcohol!
Relaxing effectively after work (RELAX):
- Relax
- tell yourself that you need to relax completely - tomorrow
is another day
- Entertainment
- find a hobby or interest that allows you to take your mind
off work
- Laughter
way to combat stress - tell a joke or share a joke with
friends
- Audio/Visual
- listening to music and singing (or humming) a good tune or
watching a good movie are other ways to forget stress
- Exercise
and healthy eating help make us feel better about ourselves
(and reduce stress from feeling unfit or over-weight, if you are overweight),
so go to the gym or for a walk or run and eat well
There's more on the web (e.g. www.bbc.co.uk/health
and www.mindbodysoul.gov.uk)
The 4-steps:
There is a relationship between eating well, exercising effectively
and managing stress. Once you start to get one thing right,
the others become easier. Eventually you can build up a
physical and mental condition and attitude that is unassailable.
It is never too late to start to live the life you want to live!
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