Managing Personal Stress in Business

Managing stress in the workplace successfully needn't involve powerful medications. Managing stress requires taking an active role and to take responsibility for your own thoughts, feelings and behaviors. We cannot escape every deadline or every assurance, so, rather than trying to eliminate stress entirely, we need to attempt of managing stress as much we can. You need to develop strategies for managing stress, especially if you find yourself becoming constantly ill, or you feel nervous much of the time. Managing stress is not only the key to having a happier and more tranquil life, it is also necessary to remain successful in the work environment.

Stress is a portion of our daily lives. Stress is either acute (short-term) or chronic. Stress Management is the ability to maintain control when situations, people, and events make excessive demands. Also stress management techniques can provide us with a way of keeping our stress levels under control that tends to affect our physical, mental and emotional health. A particular stress management technique may be effective on one occasion, but not another, so we need to be ready to implement new ones at any given time. Effective stress management is not easy and stress management takes time and practice. These five tips are in no particular order.

The first important technique is the use of Relaxation. Relaxation techniques are extremely powerful in managing stress. Relaxation lowers blood pressure, slows breathing and pulse rates, releases muscle tension and produces a sense of well-being. Relaxation is most effective if it is incorporated into our daily life. Meditation can create a deep sense of relaxation and mental clarity. (There delightfully soothing relaxation music available. My favorite is Brainsync )



Whether in quiet or listening to something calming, first step is to relax yourself: close your eyes, and try using imagery of waves of relaxation running down your body from your scalp downwards, washing out stress. Feel the muscles in your body relaxing as the waves of relaxation wash over them. Spend time just visualizing this, even if you have to do at your desk. From massage to mediation to yoga, AARP recently described many methods of relaxation to help you reduce your level of stress. If you do incorporate this or any relaxation technique into your life you may notice an increased awareness of whether you are tense or relaxed. Learn a muscle relaxation routine, and practice it regularly. Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule.


Another important element is that dreaded word - Exercise. Exercise is very important in stress and health management. Exercises form an outlet for your frustrations and anger. It also aids in putting a stop in the nasty cycles of stress-eating, indulgence to alcohol, cigarettes and drugs. Exercise also helps lift one's spirits and decrease depression. It has a number of other positive benefits you may not be aware of: It improves blood flow to your brain, bringing additional sugars and oxygen that may be needed when you are thinking intensely. Most medical experts have discovered that doing physical exercise can help you with the constant flow of stresses.

Of course, you cannot leave out sleep. Getting adequate sleep is another very simple but effective way to manage stress. We all have our own ideal amount of sleep, and if we don't get it, our performance and resilience suffer. Most people need about 6-9 hours of sleep per night. Loss of deep, restorative sleep can be attributed to stress and can lead to insomnia. People not sleeping can then stress about losing sleep, and another cycle begins. Allowing you adequate sleep can be a powerful part of your stress management program.

Feelings management is also an important tool to stress management. What is important is how you handle your feelings. Learning to express feelings and to deal with tensions in constructive ways is vital to your emotional and physical health. This will help prevent you from releasing your feelings in an ineffective and unacceptable way, such as snapping at your children or being argumentative and short with your spouse and becoming more aggressive generally. Your feelings can also greatly influence your judgment. Stress has fewer negative effects for people who admit their feelings and accept them. Repressing and denying feelings decreases energy and can cause irritability, depression, or physical problems. Keeping your feelings bottled up within yourself is like gradually building a potent bomb and will increase stress levels.

Setting goals is another good stress management procedure. Without goals, we are likely to spend time and energy in an aimless way. Setting realistic goals for your day and year helps you feel directed and in control. Set realistic goals and time frames for yourself. You will see results more often if you select goals that are specific and achievable. If you have only broad long-range goals, you are more likely to experience frustration. The degree to which short-term goals are accomplished will help you assess the practicality of long-term goals. Hand in hand with this is time management. When we mismanage our time, whether on work projects or towards personal goals, it increases stress and impacts performance.

Most stress arises due to feelings of life being out of control. - Have realistic expectations (personally and professionally) - No matter what, always maintain your sense of humor - Never bottle up your feelings, share it with someone you trust - Never try to control others - Manage your time well - Do important tasks first - Get quality sleep - Exercise regularly - Eat well - Keep the intake of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, habit forming over the counter drugs to a minimum. If you implement even a couple of these suggested techniques into your daily routines and life style changes you will find that not only are you feeling more relaxed and at ease, but that the bottom line is positively impacted as well. This is just one more step in creating a life of happiness and balance.