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“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” — William James
If there’s one emotion that can cut into productivity, it’s stress.
Stress is what happens when we feel we have more to deal with than our minds can handle. There’s an old I Love Lucy episode where Lucy gets a job decorating cakes or candy on an assembly line. She starts out doing well at the job, but then the assembly like (resembling a big treadmill) starts to move faster. It gets a little faster after that, and then faster. The scene is funny, but a bit difficult to watch because we can all relate to how quickly things can get out of control.
At the end, you see Lucy at the end of the line covered in icing, slipping and rolling around in the mess that should be beautiful cakes.
Like fear, stress can cause us to make decisions that aren’t good for us. It can lead to fight or flight feelings and reactions that work against us. We work faster and faster, but then the overwhelm and stress sets in.
Stress can cause you to feel pressured, angry or even depressed if not dealt with properly. So here are 6 feel-good tips from me – and 1 from my seven year old daughter that will help knock out stress before it knocks you out.
1. Aerobic Excercise - One of the best stress busters out there is frequent aerobic exercize. But the key is doing it before times of stress. Daily workouts are insurance and preventative medicine against stress. That’s why it’s important to plan ahead. Start excercising today to avoid the stresses of next week. 20 minutes of speed walking, jogging, biking or stair stepping a day can turn around the most stressful of days.
2. Take a Time Out – You are at your wits end. You are ready to quit and head off into the sunset. So what do you do? Try taking a breather. The time to get your “time out” in is before you’ve gone overboard. Like Barney Fife says “nip it, nip it, nip it”. When you feel your heart rate increasing and the dreadful feelings rising, get up and out. Not forever, just a few minutes.
If at all possible, take a walk. But if you feel trapped, excuse yourself to the bathroom if you must.
3. Vent to a good friend - A friend, partner or understanding spouse can be a good sounding board for stressful times. They have enough distance from the problem as not to get too emotionally involved. Tip: Set a time limit on your griping. Say “I need to vent for 15 minutes. After that, I’ll let it go.” Then stick to it. My wife and I go for walks every day, during which we each get 1/2 the walk in “vent time.”
If you are a ventee, try not to offer advice. Usually, all the ventor wants is support. Saying “Yeah! You’re right!” will make you a hero in their eyes. 
4. Make a list of everything you are happy about - What’s odd about stress is that it’s an illusion of sorts. When we become stressed, we are hyper-focused on what’s “wrong” while ignoring the many other current happenings that are going right. Take a break and list 10 – 20 things that are going right in your life. This is a good habit to do every now and again, even if you aren’t stressed because it makes you appreciate life more.
5. Watch a comedy - Laughter is the best medicine. After an especially stressful day, renting a comedy DVD (might I suggest Tommy Boy) can work wonders on a strained attitude. Laughter reminds you that life doesn’t have to be all that serious.
6. Drink some ice water - This advice comes from my 7 year old daughter. She says when she is feeling sad or angry a big glass of ice water makes her feel better. There might be something to this. If what’s bothering you is some potential future catastrophe, then ice water brings you back to the here and now. Which is our next tip.
7. Draw your attention to now - If you are stressed, listen to the sounds in your immediate environment. Pay attention to your breathing. Look at the palms of your hands. By drawing your attention to the present moment and realizing “hey, I’m ok right now.” Then the stress of the unknown future or recent past become easily manageable. Hint: You can even do this present moment trick while someone else is losing it in front of you. By simply drawing your attention to the soles of your feet or counting your breaths, you can see “hey, she’s screaming her head off and I’m still alive and really not feeling too bad…pretty cool!”
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{ 8 comments }
Great tips! I like seeing the glass of water one, as it definitely works for me (I LOVE water) yet I’ve said this tip to others before and they look at me like I’m a bit crazy. I guess I’m not the only one now with that technique….
Hi Brad. I agree. But venting can actually get you to notice more problems than you originally thought there were, so you get even more stressed. Venting for a brief time like you advised is key.
Wonderful Feel-Good Tips indeed!.. Well, although I’ve never listed them down, I found that I’ve been using 5 of those 7 tips on a daily basis already
So I’m here to say that they work! For those who haven’t tried any of them, for goodness sake, help yourself to those tips!
Richard, it’s always good to hear that someone else backs up what I’m saying
Ria, I debated about putting that in because of the danger you describe. But I find (as a hot blooded Irishman) that venting does help – as long as I set a limit like 15 minutes. Once the time is up, it’s up.
Absolutely Brad. I think it’s human nature. Plus, I think you get to a point where you gain acceptance or resolve to fix it, so venting is important. Love the list!
Hey There,
I just found your blog and I’m bookmarking it – it’s great! I also agree with your daughter about the glass of water. It sounds crazy but when I drink water I fee like it thins out my blood and makes everything (internally) flow smoother.
Also, I cannot go without funny movies – laughter is the best way to forget your stress. Wonderful list!
~Stacy
Can I just say that I’m a big fan of your tips? They’re easy to read and understand and actually contain a lot of substance unlike other blogs. Anyway, exercise does have a lot of interesting benefits. It’s just unfortunate that not a lot of people take advantage of it. They don’t even take the time to exercise when they have the time because of pure laziness. I know I can be such a bum as well though!
It’s great you all agree the glass of water. But here’s what I notice for me. A big glass of ice water energizes me. I’m not sure I’d qualify it as a stress-buster for me personally, but chocolate puts me to sleep while it energizes others. So we’re all different and respond to different methods.
I’m going to let her know her tip was a hit, I am sure you’ve all made a little girl very happy.
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