Whether you’re getting ready for final exams, training for a big competition, or starting a new job, stress is something that effects us all. We often view stress as a bad thing, which is why when someone is tired or a bit rude, they might excuse themselves by saying “Sorry, I’ve just been stressed lately”.
The truth is that stress can actually be really helpful for us, it’s that signal that tells our bodies and minds that “Hey, you need to push yourself!” or “Let’s get started on that big project”.
Stress is what helps us to mature, physically and mentally, even though it can be a bit overwhelming if you don’t know how to cope. That is why I’ve put together a list of my top stress coping techniques for you all to use.
The following are my four favourite stress coping techniques. To many of you, this may be common knowledge, which means all you need is a small reminder; for others, this information may be a bit new, or you just don’t know how to apply it properly, which is why I wrote personal example to go along with every tip. The sooner you apply these tips in your work, the better your results. If you wait to the last minute, you probably are not going to reap the best benefits – so it’s best to get a head start!
Go to sleep and wake up early: Pretty obvious, right? Going to sleep and waking up early is a lot like eating healthily. You know you should do it, but who can resist a burger and fries? When we have a lot of work, it’s really easy to excuse going to sleep late.
You stay up late in order to try and get ahead of your workload for the next day. The only problem is that the next day you end up sleeping in too late or you feel tired, and then you’re back where you started.
When I have a lot of work, I love to go to sleep early and wake up at around 5am (sometimes even earlier). In the early morning I’m much more calm and have a clearer head, which allows me to work more efficiently and effectively. Also, there’s no one to disturb me at that time, because most people are asleep, so I get a nice block of time to focus entirely on the task at hand.
Strategize: When we’re stressed, we tend to panic. This state of panic makes us rush to get things done. Quite often, we mistake rushing for being productive.
More times than I can count, I’ve rushed to get something done and realized halfway through that I’ve done something wrong, or I’ve hit an obstacle that I can’t get past. Remember to always work smart.
Laying out a strategy for executing your plan is the surest way to maximize productivity, because you’ll be ready for every step as it comes.
Go for a walk/jog outside: This is my favourite stress coping technique. Going for a walk or running may seem like the last thing you want to do when you’re trying to make a deadline, but you’ll be surprised at how some fresh air can help you to generate your best ideas along with a clear plan.Aside from the endorphins that running releases, which help you to reduce stress, running helps to take your mind off of things. When we are working for a long time on a particular problem, we often become rigid in our thinking and are unable to find innovative solutions.
Running outside helps to break that rigidity by stimulating our bodies and minds, and opening us up to new possibilities. Most of my “eureka” moments have taken place while running.
Asking the right people the right questions: It never ceases to amaze me how few people actually apply this obvious piece of knowledge. What often happens is that people will ask the right questions to the wrong people, or they’ll ask the right people the wrong questions. Back in school, I remember that a lot of students were afraid to ask their teachers the right questions, because they didn’t’ want to appear unprepared. So they would ask their friends for help, even though their friends didn’t know anymore than they did. By doing this, everyone was making the situation more difficult than it needed to be.
Be sure to utilize the people around you to the best of your ability to maximize your productivity and ultimately reduce stress.
By Jaffar Mahmoud
