The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance.1.Appreciate what they haveTaking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for improves your mood, as it reduces the stress hormone by 23%. Research found that people who work daily to cultivate an attitude of gratitude experience improved mood, energy, and physical well-being. So take some time today to be grateful for all you have. Thank your mom, your neighbor and even the cleaner at the hawker centre.
2.Avoid asking ‘What if?’This causes unnecessary stress and worry. Truth is things can go in a million different directions, and the more time you spend worrying about the possibilities, the less time you’ll spend focusing on taking action that will calm you down and keep your stress under control.
3. They stay positive You have to give your wandering brain a little help by consciously selecting something positive to think about.When things are going poorly, think about your day and identify one positive thing that happened, no matter how small. If you can’t think of something from the current day, reflect on your previous day or the delicious bowl of laksa you had for lunch. 4. They disconnectWhen you make yourself available to your work 24/7, exposes yourself to constant stress triggers. Forcing yourself offline and being occasionally MIA gives your body a break from a constant source of stress.
Studies have shown that something as simple as an email break can lower stress levels. Give your boss a legit excuse to take a break!5.They limit their caffeine intakeDrinking caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline. Adrenaline is the source of the “fight-or-flight" response, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat. The fight-or-flight mechanism sidesteps rational thinking in favor of a faster response. This is great when a bear is chasing you, but not so great when you’re responding to a curt email. When caffeine puts your brain and body into this hyperaroused state of stress, your emotions overrun your behavior. The stress that caffeine creates is far from intermittent, as its long half-life ensures that it takes its sweet time working its way out of your body.
6.They sleepI’ve beaten this one to death over the years and can’t say enough about the importance of sleep to increasing your emotional intelligence and managing your stress levels. When you sleep, your brain literally recharges, shuffling through the day’s memories and storing or discarding them (which causes dreams), so that you wake up alert and clear-headed. Your self-control, attention, and memory are all reduced when you don’t get enough—or the right kind—of sleep.
7.They squash negative self-talkA big step in managing stress involves stopping negative self-talk in its tracks. The more you ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them. Most of our negative thoughts are just that—thoughts, not facts.
8.They reframe their perspectiveYou can’t control your circumstances, but you can control how you respond to them. So before you spend too much time dwelling on something, take a minute to put the situation in perspective. 9.They breatheThe practice of being in the moment with your breathing will begin to train your brain to focus solely on the task at hand and get the stress monkey off your back. Close the door, put away all other distractions, and just sit in a chair and breathe. This sounds simple, but it’s hard to do for more than a minute or two. This task may seem too easy or even a little silly, but you’ll be surprised by how calm you feel afterward and how much easier it is to let go of distracting thoughts that otherwise seem to have lodged permanently inside your brain.10.They use their support systemIt’s tempting, yet entirely ineffective, to attempt tackling everything by yourself. To be calm and productive, you need to recognize your weaknesses and ask for help when you need it. Asking for help will mitigate your stress and strengthen your relationships with those you rely upon.
Article adapted from www.forbes.com
