How to manage stress – The best 3 ways to manage stress

How to manage stress – Stresses in your life likely aren’t going anywhere soon. If they were, you wouldn’t be reading about how to get rid of them – right? That is just the way society is swinging these days. Michael G. Wetter, PsyD, has said in today’s world, “There’s more pressure to compete, and all the technology that brings work home means we never get any respite.” The bottom line with pressure is that it leads to stress unless you manage it well, and pressure isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. So here’s the down low on stress, before we get into the tips: stress is bad for you. No matter which way you swing it, when your mind is stressed, your body is stressed. Wetter, on stress, says, “When our bodies and minds perceive danger, blood pressure goes up and the digestive system shuts down.” When our body is constantly working and our mind is under constant pressure, “the body never has a chance to recuperate.” So we need to learn to manage our stresses, because if the pressure isn’t going anywhere, we need to at least figure out what to do about the stress. 

1) Sleep

When you sleep at night, you’re giving your mind the chance to shut off and reconnect. You’re letting it take a break, calm down and find new energy. You’re letting it repair itself. Sleep is vital to the functioning of the human mind and body and when you skip out on it, you’re not going to do yourself any favors. Take steps to ensure you get the hours of sleep each night that you need so that you can work at maximum productivity when you are at work – otherwise, if you’re tired all of the time, you’ll only be operating at half the pace you probably could be operating at.

 

2) Exercise

Throw all of your excuses out the window. If you want to maximize your productivity and reduce your stress, get to the gym. Studies done by Arthur F. Kramer, PhD, have shown, “increases in brain volume and gray matter in those who walked, but not in those who stretched.” Kramer, who is a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, stresses the importance of exercise that gets you up and moving and sweating. “People who did the aerobic workout also showed improved cognitive function, especially in the areas of memory, decision making, and switching from one task to another.” Working out helps you increase your brainpower and supply more oxygen to your bloodstream, brain and body overall. When you spend just a little bit more time working out during the week, you’re setting your body up to better handle pressures and thereby teaching it how to manage stress levels more efficiently.

3) Eat well

Your diet matters. Don’t reach for that bag of Cheese-its. Instead, “eat plenty of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables and cut back on fat.” Look at your body like a machine. Fuel it correctly and you will have more energy throughout the day to better deal with pressures. If you’re filling your body with fatty or salty foods, you’re draining your body of its energy and ability to function at its highest level. What you eat matters, so pay attention to it.

Source: Ziglar Vault

in Management & Leadership

Related Articles