Destress Yourself: The Powerful Living Mantra

Sometimes, a little work-pressure and stress can help you to stay focused and improve your performance. However, too much of anything will do you harm in the long run. Stress is not an illness – it’s a state which when prolonged can give rise to mental and physical malady. All of us, at one time or other, encounter high pressure situations in our professional and personal life. Few examples of stressful situations at workplace can be:Situation 1 – Meeting DeadlinesClock is ticking, clients are waiting but you are still not ready with your deliverable. Don’t succumb to stress and black out. Instead, sit tight and concentrate on the quality of the output rather than the deadline. Remember, throwing in hands in hopelessness and waiting for a miracle to happen will hot work. Stay calm, take a deep breath and look for ways to prioritize your work and if possible delegate your work. Situation 2 – Handling ArgumentsYou get into heavy argument or disagreement with your co-worker and he blames you for everything that went wrong or if one of your colleagues is trying to bully you and take all the credit for your hard work, don’t loose your temper. Situation will exacerbate if you lose your cool and start firing back. Rather, stay rational and apologies for actions. If it wasn’t your fault totally then politely remind them of their faults that lead into the situation. Sometimes it’s better to be smart than right. By responding politely to hostility will make others realize their fault and thus relive the stress.Situation 3 – Not Knowing AnswerMany a times, we find ourselves in a situation where we are asked questions for which we don’t know the answer. If faced with such a situation you can either panic or you can redirect the focus back to the subject matter. You can tell that people can talk to you personally if they have more questions and due to time constraint it is better to focus on the subject for the time being. If however, it is a relevant question and you still don’t know the answer then be humble and admit it. After all you are a human too and nobody expects you to know-it-all. So be confidant and willing to know the answer then tell them rather than blinking in front of the crowd.From the above situations you can very well make out that there are two ways to handle every situation – either panic and lose control or stay calm and manage stress. Of course, the choice is yours!Let us first understand the mechanism of stress and why we freak out when pressurized. When in stress, our brains switch to a primitive defense system and our body produces the stress hormone adrenaline, which triggers a ‘fight-or-flight’ response that nullifies our logical thinking. As a result of which we defend ourselves by bursting in rage and speaking harsh words. After the level of adrenaline sinks down our brain reverts to normal protocol and we realize our mistakes. But, by then the harm is already done!Stress, if not attended to, can wreak havoc your mental as well as physical health. You may suffer from insomnia, change your eating habits, isolate yourself from friends and family, become excessively indecisive and suffer memory loss and low esteem. Often mood swings are associated with stress.Some of the physical symptoms of stress are tiredness, indigestion and nausea, headaches, fatigue and palpitations. If you have these symptoms then most probably you’ve got stress. In most cases, stress gives rise to hypertension and depression. So act quickly, take control of your life and bust your stress.There are various ways to deal with stress and those who can manage stress overcome obstacles in their way and achieve worthwhile success. Here few tips for stress management: Before reacting to any situation, take your time to judge it. Never respond in haste. Take a deep breadth and think before you speak. No matter what be reasonable and don’t give into anger. Organize your work and learn to say no if you can’t do it. It is better to focus on something which you can do rather than worrying about things beyond your control. Stop looking at the work when the deadline is approaching; instead focus on the task at hand. Break down your tasks into smaller tasks and prioritize them and complete the high priority ones first, if required take help from others. Looking at the clock and worrying will only cause delay. Enjoy what you are doing. Try to take up a career which you like and you will always stay enthusiastic thus keeping stress miles away from you. Take care of your health. Drink lots of water to keep your body from dehydration. Drink black or green tea. It is a natural antioxidant which stimulates your thinking and energizes you body and mind. Lead healthy life. Eat healthy snacks and go for some moderate exercises, e.g. quiet and leisurely walk can be a good stress buster. Sleep regularly and limit your alcohol intake and smoking. Always think positive and be optimistic. Hope for the best. Remember, despair eats away hope and increases tension. Stop complaining and think of ways to solve a problem. In day-to-day life, we meet different kinds of people – complainers, aggressive people, timid people, bully etc. Learn to deal with them. Develop active listening skills to listen to them so that you can communicate with them better. Some people talk to god to release stress, if you are not that religious, talk to your friends and family or someone you are comfortable with.Stress is harmful for both your body and your career. When hit in the red zones we tend to become impulsive and do something for which we may regret for the rest of our lives. Nowadays, stress is inseparable from work. If you are successful in managing stress you will emerge out as a leader. The solution lies in staying calm and composed when your instinct impels you to explode. Possess your wits and control the adrenaline flow, even in worst times.