The 2 best approaches for stress management are:
1. Physical Exercise (we have talked in length about this a few months ago, Fight or Flight, importance of exercise to offset the physical hormones released that in turn affect our physiology )
2. Mental Exercise (mindset)
Let’s dig more on mental exercises of stress management.
--Awareness of what you can control: We can’t always control what happens to us but we can control how we react to it
--Your personal influence: You can’t force things to go your way, focus on your behavior and what you do have influence over
--Identify your fears: Often they are rooted in failure but is failure really that bad? Think of all the amazing things we learn from failure. Worst case scenarios: We can’t deny that sometimes they happen but are they ever as bad as we imagine? Often we survive and become stronger.
--Strengthen your problem solving skills. Have a growth mindset! Are you stuck pondering something in the past that you can’t change? WHY
--Create goals and plans around stress management: Exercise, get enough sleep, meditation, deep breathing, using your support system
--Increasing healthy affirmations: Gratitude, positive self dialogue, reminding yourself you are in control of those thoughts and actions.