Are You a Good Stress Manager? (Part 2)

Here are the other valuable traits that distinguish effective stress managers.

 

• You choose your crowd as much as possible.

 

Some people are fixtures in your life—parents, relatives, and siblings. When you were born into this world, no one asked you to choose them to fill in these roles. They were given to you, so you have no choice but to embrace them for everything they are—merits, idiosyncrasies, and all. Come to think of it, there is nothing really unusual about this as everybody has his/her quirks. It is only a matter of how much of these we can and are willing to put up with. But the thing here is, you do not have to endure every person that comes your way. Your family is a fixture you have to keep, but your friends and other people you hang out with (even lovers and partners) can be selected.  So choose them wisely. If they always burden you emotionally and mentally (and they choose to remain oblivious or could not care less about you), then you should keep distance or look for a more supportive group of people who are not as self-centered or selfish.

 

• Be in charge of your environment.

 

Cannot help but feel anxious every time you watch the news? Are you easily affected by the negative emotions of the characters in a TV drama? Then by all means stay away from them as much as possible. Do not watch the news and skip the headlines when perusing the newspaper (better yet do not read the newspaper at all). And if intense dramas cause your blood pressure to shoot up, opt for light comedies or more amusing film choices that delight rather than stress you.

 

Other environmental controls you can practice are as follows:

 

·         If daily traffic unnerves you, leave half an hour earlier than usual. Either this or you choose a better route.

 

·         You do not like the attitude of a coworker? Or having trouble with him or her? Stay out of his/her way. Avoid being in the same place at once as much as possible. If he/she is seated next to your station, request to be transferred. If this is not possible zone out as you plug in to relaxing music to keep your thoughts away from him/her.

 

·         To lift up your spirits, try redecorating your room. You can give it a fresh paint in your favorite relaxing color. Pressed for time? A simple decluttering will do the trick.

 

• Narrow down your list of “to-do” tasks.

 

If you are spreading yourself too thin by taking on tasks beyond your capacity to handle, then you are setting yourself up for a breakdown any time soon. The overwhelming stress can take its toll not only on your physical health, but also mental well-being. Be realistic. Do not bite off more than you can chew. Learn how to prioritize tasks, so you do not end up wasting your time and valuable energy.