Originally published: 12/10/2017 15:38
Publication number: ELQ-36710-1
View all versions & Certificate
Publication number: ELQ-36710-1
View all versions & Certificate
How to Manage Stress (Sustainably, For Life)
18 Pro Tips to Manage Stress (Sustainably, For Life)
by Yuri Kruman[email protected] |Startup Instructor |Forbes Contributor |Helping You Plan & Switch Careers + Find Your Dream JobFollow
Introduction
It's Monday yet again. You are behind at work, already stressed. The weekend was amazing, but now this. You're sick and tired of being this anxious, with the growling stomach and the sweats, the jumpiness and lack of focus. What to do?
I've been a worrier since I could worry, probably at 5. Here's how I've learned to deal with it. Throughout the day, I:
- Step n°1 |
Walk briskly and a lot
- regularly and throughout the day. I walk my daughter to her daycare, to the subway. After I'm in the office, I walk at mid-morning, then at lunch and then mid-afternoon. Ideally, it is the same time every day, but even if impossible, I make a point to walk. Even inside the office, I would rather get up and walk over to ask questions that to email. Brisk walking is just as effective as most exercise, without the impact or the risk of injury.
- Step n°2 |
Put on my favorite music.
The Mozart channel on Pandora helps me focus. Choose your own. It should be music that can put you at your ease and yet excite you just enough to power through the morning work. Toward the end of the day, around 3 (when circadian rhythms are generally low and you need a pickup), I put on jazz (Red Garland channel on Pandora). Again, whatever helps you to improve your mood and power through. Music is very powerful to improve your mood (or mess it up completely, if you don't choose well). - Step n°3 |
Meditate or pray.
After I'm up and clean and dressed, I meditate and pray. Sometimes it's by myself and other times, in synagogue with others. I practice gratitude and pray for family and friends, for sustenance, for health and bodily integrity, for life itself, for guidance and for strength. This helps align my purpose and my mission with whatever comes that day, throughout the week, no matter what. This way, I always know why I am doing what I'm doing, even if it's stressful, boring or annoying. - Step n°4 |
Take breaks to stretch every 45 minutes to an hour, max.
Sitting's slow death. Your muscles start to lost their tone. Your posture sags. Your resting heart rate goes down. I stand with my legs out, arms stretched and move side to side to stretch the arms and back. I stand up on my calves, back down, handful of reps. I move my neck around from side to side and front to back several times. - Step n°5 |
Filter my information flows effectively throughout the day.
In order to stay sane when faced with hoses of emails and requests and articles and data, I organize my email and set up filter rules to know where I can find any message on any subject, from any person. I filter feeds on LinkedIN and on FB so that when I take my break at lunch and check them, I am looking at the news from sources that I want and useful articles from Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Forbes, EurekAlert, etc. I regularly prune the feeds, unfollowing the people and the information sources that are wasteful. You set yours up whatever way you like. Unfollow people that contribute only photos of vacations or cat videos or other junk. Focus your information feeds for only things you need and move you forward in life. Cut down your email to a minimum. Unsubscribe from shopping emails and newsletters you don't need. Cut out the fat and junk.
by Yuri Kruman[email protected] |Startup Instructor |Forbes Contributor |Helping You Plan & Switch Careers + Find Your Dream JobFollow
