Article Category : Candidate Planning, Work Place, Self Improvement

Stress in small doses, and linked to positive events, helps
you be more productive, active and happier. However, when
stress reaches a certain level, it starts to have adverse
effects. Adrenalin floods the body, breathing becomes
shallower, your thoughts become less clear - everything is
framed in terms of fight-or-flight responses. If this state
persists for extended periods of time, irreversible
physical damage starts to happen in your body - including
the brain.

Some sources of stress you can avoid, but many you
unfortunately can’t.  However, you can make sure that you
regularly and actively reduce your stress level, so that
you don’t suffer its adverse consequences.

The first key to stress management is good sleep. Yes, it
does make a difference: If you sleep enough, you will be
able to better handle things that come your way, and your
stress response will be muted. So make sleep one of your
priorities, and avoid late nights at work as much as
possible.

The second key is to weekly make an appointment with
yourself for at least a couple hours a week, devoted to
relaxation. It can be going to the gym, practicing a sport
you love, getting a massage (on this subject, see this
month’s spotlight), sit down and read an entertaining book,
do some knitting, whatever works for you. The key is that
this is an activity that you enjoy, that you practice on
your own (i.e. no co-workers to talk business while having
a tennis game, no children interrupting you while you are
reading your book, etc.) and that makes you feel refreshed
once you’re done.

The third key is to make sure to have mini de-stressing
sessions throughout the day. It can be as easy as taking a
few minutes to breathe deeply; stand up and do a few
stretching moves;  get out and walk around the block; or
use some of the de-stressing tools on the market (see This
Month’s Product for examples). Ideally, experts recommend
to take a 3-to-5-minute break every hour. It is especially
important if you spend most of the day at a desk, and your
body is stressed by the mere fact of not being able to move
freely for hours in a row. I am in no way, shape or form a
proponent of smoking (I don’t smoke, don’t like the smell
of smoke, and definitely don’t want you to suffer the
side-effects and consequences of smoking), but the
cigarette breaks were good in the sense that they provided
those necessary breaks both body and mind. So introduce
your own non-smoking breaks in your day!

Now is your time to plan: Open your calendar, and figure
out when you can include an hour or two of relaxation time
in your week, every week until the end of the year. Then
ask yourself the following questions: How will you organize
your breaks during the day? When can you take a 10-minute
break? Which relaxation exercises do you want to focus on?

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Karin Vibe-Rheymer-Stewart, Ph.D., helps busy women reclaim
time and achieve work/life balance through whole-life time
management, in other words everything that affects your use
of time. She has helped numerous clients find balance and
peace of mind, through one-on-one coaching, group coaching,
seminars and talks. For free resources and to contact her,
go to http://www.superwomanrelief.com .

Category : stress