Here is a stress management strategy format that I use when trying to negotiate the stressors in my life and devise an action plan for handling the unwanted stress. By approaching the management of stress in a systematic fashion, I allow myself to be objective and honest about how the stress is affecting my life and my emotions. This approach allows me to distance myself from the triggers that cause the stress and allow me to develop a solution with which I can be comfortable. We all know we can't eliminate stress, but there is comfort in knowing we can manage it. The six steps I use in designing a stress management strategy are listed below.
Take an Inventory.
Can you identify what is causing your stress? Is it personal or work-related? Is it a health issue? Is it finances, home-life or the neighbors? Is the stress caused by a major change in your life? Stress comes from many sources, and like many women, stress is triggered by a combination of factors in our lives. So what do we do when we feel frustrated, angry, nervous or anxious? Well, first things first. Time to take an inventory and identify what is causing stress in our daily lives.
Identify your personal stressors.
Write down the top ten things that cause stress in your life and next to each item rank the level of stress that each causes ranging from 1-10, with 1 being the lowest. Keep the list handy. Over the next several days and weeks, check to see if these are really the important issues in your life.
What is important?
In this frantic, frenzied world keep a sense of perspective. Define your priorities and adjust your schedule to embrace your values. How are you using your time and energy? Are you spending hours of your time on things that in the grand scheme of things really do not matter as much as others? Some of us always seem to be in a hurry. It is time for you to reconsider. What is really urgent and what items can wait.
Design your Coping Skills.
People experience stress when the world's demands exceed our ability to cope. Coping with stress requires you to use skills to handle life's challenges in the most effective ways to minimize negative consequences. Will you buckle under stress, or will you have strong enough coping skills to stay in control? This ability to cope well and stay in control depends most on your strengths in using your actions and your emotions. Can you design a solution? Do you allow your emotions to cloud your thinking? Do they overwhelm your ability to make decisions? List what coping skills you currently try to incorporate in different situations. These might include making lists of activities you need to accomplish, or avoiding stressful situations, or having someone help you handle the situation.
Refine Your Time Management Techniques.
Organize your time, your workspace and your projects. An organized workspace makes you feel in better control and less stressed. Practice the art of making lists. Plan your work and work your plan! Be reasonable about what you can accomplish in a day.
Reward yourself!!
Take a break and plan something rewarding for the end of your stressful day, even if only a relaxing bath or enjoying a home movie. Put aside the issues of the day and relax so that you can recharge for tomorrow.
