Do you tend to ‘stress’ or ‘stretch’ under pressure?

Are you feeling extra pressure at work, home, socially or financially at the moment? Ask this question to 20 people and 19 people will say YES!

My ‘reason for being’ is to help people to BOUNCE FORWARD, after stressful events (mental, emotional or physical).

Here are 5 practical tips to help you BOUNCE FORWARD:

1. Acknowledge your feelings
Emotions are data. Know with specificity what you are feeling (fear, anxiety, annoyance, or anger).

It sounds counterintuitive, but naming your feelings helps to reduce confusion, and the sense of overwhelm.
Name your emotions, to tame them!

2. Cut yourself some slack
We are all living under ‘pressure’. We are well aware of the need to be empathetic towards family members, friends and
family. BUT are you self-compassionate? The latter is an EQ competency. Notice your self-talk. Stop that inner-critic, and focus on ‘kind self-talk’. Cut yourself some slack, where you can.

3. Take microbreaks
Pressure and long working hours tend to go hand-in-hand. Micro-bursts of activity are HUGELY helpful.

A: Movement is medicine. Our bodies are designed to walk 12 -18 km per day. That is what we did, as cavemen and women!
B: Motion shifts emotion. If you’re feeling uptight, or wound-up like a spring ... go and find a flight of stairs and run-up-and-down them. Even if there are only 6 stairs. Your heart rate will increase.
Your eyes-to-feet co-ordination will kick in, and you’ll feel VASTLY DIFFERENT... even after 2-3 mins.

Take regular short breaks (2-5mins ) throughout the day. Breathe deeply (inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 8 counts), listen to music, taste your coffee, call a friend, or anything else that boosts your mood.

Taking just a five minute break can re-energise you. And the anticipation of a micro-break is also a mood booster.

4. Focus on the next best step
A ‘sense of overwhelm’ kicks in when we feel under pressure. Overwhelm is a ‘nasty feeling’ … it makes us feel like we  have 10,000 things ‘TO DO’.

• Stand up, next to your desk, and close your eyes.
• Lower your shoulders (stress makes them creep up to your ears, like earrings) and do the breathing technique above.
• Open your eyes and look at your list of ‘priorities’, and select the ‘next best step / task’.
• No more ‘mental debate’. Sit down and GSD. (Get Stuff Done)!

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5. Communicate with your support crew
Many Assertive, or ‘A type Personalities (me included) BATTLE to ‘Ask for help’. Reaching out is a strength, not a weakness.

• Tell your family / colleagues that you’re under pressure . Ask for them to cut you some ‘slack’. Or ASK them to help you.
• Call a friend and offload.
• Chat to your manager about what you see as your ‘priorities’, in order to get ‘perspective’.
  
  #stressmanagement #stressrelief #stressreduction #BOUNCEFORWARD #selfawareness

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