Is Stress Killing You Slowly? 5 Ways To Relieve Stress & Get Back On Track

“I’m stressed out”

“This thing is stressing me out”

“Please. I’m stressed. I can’t think properly”

“I’m exhausted”

“I hate my job”

“I need a vacation’

“I hate my life”

Those are some common phrases that we tell ourselves and others around us to express frustrations surrounding our lifestyle.

Almost everybody experiences stress in some form or another in a typical day – but the problem begins when we are heavily exposed to stress.

Stress can be either professional or personal – both of them affect you the same way. In fact, in my personal opinion stress in your personal life affects you more.

Here are some examples so you can relate…

Professional:

You have a tight deadline on a project and are struggling to complete it by then – while you have other priorities to take care of as well

You have a long-term project that you want to start working on but you always end up procrastinating on it for something or another and you feel stressed by the regular delays

You have colleagues who don’t co-operate with you and are always trying to take credit for the good work that you’re doing

You have a manager or boss who doesn’t appreciate your initiatives and still thinks you’re an underperformer although you’re giving your best.

Personal:

You are single and you want to get into a relationship. But your current social life and financial status prevents you from getting into one

You’re married with a child and working in a company with a good pay. You’ve just brought a new house and you’re worried about how you are going to pay off the EMIs while saving for your child’s education

You’re in your 40’s, well-settled and are worried about your failing health – although everything seems to work well professionally.

The point I’m trying to make here is that everybody experiences stress.

… and everybody gets pulled down by it. The only effective way to handle it is to create a clear roadmap.

You need to have a clear roadmap about how you’re going to handle the day to day stress and anxiety that’s created.

As I coach clients, I come across more and more people who can’t just “let go” of their stress from day to day activities. They hold onto the stress and don’t release it.

This in turn leads to severe psychological and physical problems.

Constant exposure to stress over an extended period of time causes havoc to your physical and emotional well-being. This results in:

  • Irritability
  • Impatience
  • Chronic moodiness
  • Poor judgment
  • And so on

Managing stress is your own responsibility. You have to step up and fight this head on.

With that said, here are 5 keys to de-stress and get back on track…

Examine The Quality Of Your Sleep:

When anyone says they have a stress issue, I always ask them, “How is the quality of your sleep”?

The quality of sleep you get each night (not quantity) determines your physical and emotional well-being.

If you’re not getting quality sleep each night, there’s a strong chance that you are harboring and holding onto stress.

The best way to put an end to this is to sit down, breathe deeply and meditate for about 10 minutes before you go to bed.

During this period, you empty your mind of all thoughts and guard it against any thought that could trigger negative emotions to creep in.

Carve out “Me Time” everyday:

If you do not prioritize and give yourself some quality time off, nobody will think that you deserve one. Regardless of how busy you are, it is imperative that you create small islands of time during the day to do what you love to do.

This can be an exercise regimen, yoga session or even a walk around the park. If there’s a hobby that you’ve always wanted to try, you could schedule that in.

Get Out Of The Trenches:

One big mistake a lot of people I know are making is that they hardly step out of their work environment to socialize.

When you’re working for 10 – 12 hrs. a day, it is imperative that you get out a little and socialize. You could do this with your colleagues or family.

We are social beings, not machines. It’s important to spend time bonding with other people.

When Was Your Last Vacation?

A lot of executives I know shy away from taking a vacation. Just being away from work and its environment will help you think with more clarity and focus.

The moment you’re physically away from the environment, you’ll disconnect from the temporary issues that bind you down.

And when you return, you’ll come back with more clarity, vigor, focus and determination than you would be otherwise.

So don’t shy away taking a vacation. Time spent away is worth the weight in gold.

Make Time For Self-Reflection:

If you’ve been having a hard time at work with a particular project, colleague, or boss and can’t seem to get back on track, it’s time for some self-reflection.

You need to re-align with what you loved about your job and occupation in the first place.

Regaining the connection is essential to make your work meaningful.

Remember, at the end of the day, you are your best friend and no one knows you better than yourself. So step back and make time to reflect.

I guarantee that you will come out as a better person.

If you still feel that you’ve tried everything you can to beat it and find yourself struggling, then click on the link below to learn more:

Yes, I Want To Overcome Stress

Working with a professional coach who can listen to your frustrations non-judgmentally and support you will help you get results faster.

Besides working with clients 1 on 1, I also engage with corporate teams through my Group Coaching Sessions.

Through these sessions, your team will learn to make powerful changes to their current engagement and improve performance. In my personal Intervention, I will teach them how to…

  • Develop a die-hard attitude for achieving their personal and professional goals
  • Create a powerful  Road-map in their lives which ultimately results in success
  • Double, triple or even quintuple their productivity by teaching them to overcome stress effectively.

Are you an executive who’s looking to increase your team’s overall productivity? Then mail me on enquiry@satishrao.in to bring in the much needed change within your team.

Thank you for reading my post. I regularly write about Leadership, Peak Performance, Health & Wellness.

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