Simple Ideas for Managing Stress

I have a love-hate relationship with stress.

Because let’s face it: managing stress is hard.

I mean, it’s such a tricky thing to grapple with.

No stress? No work gets done. Too much stress? I get paralyzed – and again, no work gets done.

I used to think that dealing with stress was like walking on a tightrope.

And this mindset sent me on a constant quest to achieve perfect balance in my life and maintain that point of equilibrium. Because of that, I suffered from chronic stress, anxiety, and fatigue.

The truth is, the more I tried to wrestle with stress, the more it got me pinned down.

However, once I started accepting stress as a normal part of our lives and, in fact, a vital one, stress management became much more doable.

Stress was no longer an enemy, but a training ground for patience and grit.

Of course, managing stress still has its challenges, but I gradually learned to restore peace to my life and improve my productivity at work.

If you’re finding life rather stressful and struggling to get through the day (or just the next hour), here are 5 simple tips you can try today to manage your stress levels.

Tip #1 – Take a breather

At the risk of sounding redundant, the simplest way to avoid feeling overwhelmed by stress is to take occasional short breaks from work.

A short break can be anything from 15 to 20 minutes. During your break, disconnect from work completely.

And this means to leave your phone alone.

No, mindless scrolling isn’t really a “mindless” activity.

In fact, it can leave you more mentally exhausted than before.

Go for a walk. Run a simple errand. Make yourself a cup of coffee or tea. Or just stare off into space.

The goal is to let your brain turn off and restore its energy.

Take a break once every 90 to 120 minutes. Why? Because of your ultradian rhythms, which are natural cycles of energy in which our bodies operate.

If you find yourself always busy and in a rush, this habit will benefit you even more – because chances are you’re going to be less productive without these short breaks throughout the day.

You’d be surprise. Just a few minutes of rest and relaxation can make all the difference!

Tip #2 – Make haste slowly

This expression comes from the Greek saying “σπεῦδε βραδέως”, which has been translated into the classic Latin phrase “festina lente”. In English, it means “slow down to go fast”.

The point here is to gently shift your focus from the fear of time passing too quickly to the task at hand.

In doing so, it becomes easier for you to enter a state of flow – that is, to be “in the zone” and fully immersed in whatever task or project you’re working on.

When making haste slowly, you seek not to rush through your tasks too quickly, but to do them properly by giving them the time and effort they deserve.

This means taking the time to pause and reflect on, discuss, or assess your work as you go along.

Rushing through your day in a panic blinds you to your flaws and limits your capacity for growth.

And this prevents you from performing to the best of your ability.

So slow down, and don’t be afraid to shift your deadlines around as needed.

Tip #3 – Let go of expectations

More often than not, much of our stress comes from unrealistic and skewed expectations – of ourselves, our relationships, our work, and life in general.

When our expectations don’t match up to reality, we tend to feel annoyed, frustrated, and disappointed.

As these feelings pile up inside us, we eventually become stressed out.

Now, some of these expectations are easily identifiable, but there are also others that run deep within our minds and hearts.

And it is usually such expectations that hold us captive without us realizing that they do so.

These expectations may be rooted in some beliefs, ideas, or emotional wounds we’ve been carrying around all our lives, which means it can be much harder to uproot them.

So when you’re trying to let go of your expectations and live more freely, don’t expect a dramatic overnight change in your state of mind.

Instead of forcing yourself to not expect anything at all, simply start by learning to be aware of your expectations – and how they’re affecting your emotions.

Then, regulate and manage your expectations according to reality.

That way, you’ll be able to tell which of your expectations are unrealistic and learn to let go of those first.

If you encounter expectations from others (and yourself) that you can’t seem to get rid of, imagine how you’re going to respond if things don’t go as planned. Will you indulge in disappointment, or learn from your experiences and move on?

Ultimately, rather than constantly asking yourself what you should do, make it a habit to ask yourself what you really want to do or achieve.

Instead of living as a slave to your expectations, have faith and set yourself free to explore other options out there.

Tip #4 – Count your blessings

Gratitude has come to be overly romanticized these days, causing many to shy away from practicing it in their lives.

I’ll admit it: the idea of counting my blessings has always seemed like an overrated and cheesy thing to do.

That is, until I actually tried to practice it.

And by practicing it, I mean committing myself to it as a daily habit.

The truth is, cultivating gratitude is no easier than building any other habit. You don’t just go to it when you feel like it and cast it aside when life gets tiring.

You practice it. Every. Single. Day.

In other words, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, you will strive to acknowledge the goodness and beauty around you, and appreciate these aspects of your life.

If you’re looking for a way to move past stress and lead a happier life, then you need to make room for happiness through gratitude.

No matter how busy you are, at the start and end of each day, set aside some time to reflect and count your blessings.

During this period, let go of any negative thoughts and emotions that have latched onto you. Turn your attention to the people, things, or events you’re grateful for in life.

By starting and ending your day in gratitude, you learn to maintain a more hopeful outlook even during difficult times.

Tip #5 – Recollect your mind

When you’re under stress, you feel distracted, scattered, and self-critical.

And being in this state of mind leaves you vulnerable to all kinds of intensely painful emotions, such as shame, guilt, anger, and anxiety.

Emotions like these make it harder for your to cope effectively, because they can affect your memory and perception of reality.

This, in turn, sends us spiraling further into distorted patterns of thinking and behavior.

And because of the complex relationship between our thoughts and emotions, we may feel at a loss as to what we can do to break out of our misery.

During such moments, the best way to cope is to recollect your mind.

When practicing recollection, you don’t have to leave what you’re doing.

Just pause for a moment, put aside your worries and concerns, and anchor your mind in the present moment.

This usually takes no longer than a few seconds.

Depending on the individual, recollection may come more naturally in the form of prayer, meditation, or breathing exercises.

In any case, the goal of recollecting your thoughts is to pull yourself out of the vicious cycle of stress and negativity.

It helps you withdraw your mind from illusions of fear and worry, and emerge calmer and more in control.

Remember, stress doesn’t have to be your enemy.

We can’t really ignore or get rid of stress once and for all.

But we can learn to reduce it and use it to our advantage.

Like it or not, stress always has a way of creeping into your life. So don’t get discouraged when you stumble or fall in the face of stress.

Growth takes time, and mistakes are part of the learning curve.

If you feel you need additional help with managing stress, reach out and talk to a trusted friend, family member, or a counselor.

You don’t have to be alone in your struggles. 🙂