A little stress is good for us until it becomes
overwhelming! Here are my top tactics to saying yes to less
stress.
Don't go without protection. Just as we put sunscreen on us
to protect against the harmful rays of the sun, we sometimes
need to protect ourselves from people, places and things.
You can't stop other people from being negative or living
their lives from one drama to another, but you can stop
yourself from being sucked in by them.
Look inside yourself. Although there are many dangers around
that can cause us to feel stress, many of these dangers are
lurking inside us. It may not be possible to eliminate
stress altogether. However, it is possible to try to control
the level of stress you feel.
Take life in bite-size chunks! There may be only so much
that you want to change in your life to make it less
stressful. You can't do it all at once! But no matter how
small a step you take each day, over a year that will add up
to 365 daily actions. Start wherever you are and take one
step at a time - that is all you can do!
Begin with yourself. Most of us find it is hard enough to
change ourselves. It is even more difficult to change
others. So if you find yourself stressed by the actions of
others, change how you react, rather than expecting others
to change.
Stop worrying. Realise that there are many things in our
lives that we don't have control over. Let them go.
Instead worrying about what you can't change, focus your
thoughts on what you can change. The antidote to worry is
action.
Put yourself first. Take care of yourself first. It's not
selfish - it's necessary, because if you are burned out and
running on empty, you have nothing left to give to others.
You cannot give away what you don't have. Put your
priorities first and make sure you have the energy and
attitude to help others.
Take a break. If you are doing something that is really
frustrating, you need to take a break. Step away from the
situation for a while. The more stressed you are, the less
likely you are to be effective in solving a problem.
Say No! Don't take on more than you can handle. Say 'no'
to other people, especially when it will make your life more
stressful than you want. Take responsibility for what you
can and can't cope with. Say 'no' and don't take on more
than you can manage.
Don't give up too soon. Refocus! If you find you are
slipping away from reaching your goals, STOP! Take a break
and refocus your actions on the bigger picture. Any change
can be difficult. But what is the cost of not changing?
Carolyn Matheson is a nationally recognized Coach,
Speaker and Author of "Yes to Less Stress."
Carolyn is a Master Certified Coach, and works with executives and their teams across the
world. She has pioneered an innovative approach to coaching,
combining many years of high performance coaching with a
holistic approach to work/life balance and has coached
hundreds of leaders and their teams. Her experience as a
presenter, both nationally and internationally, spans 20
years, with clients currently in Europe, Australia, the
Middle and Far East, and the USA.
Her new book, Yes to Less Stress is
available online at from http://www.areustressed.com