Stress busters to regain your calm

We all know what it's like to feel stressed and experience stress occasionally. It can help motivate us and improve our performance, but if it’s happening too often it can cause problems.

Stress overload is a big issue in Britain. In the UK’s largest-ever stress survey, 82% of people said they felt stressed at least some time during a typical week whilst 74% have felt so stressed that they have been overwhelmed or unable to cope. 

Maybe you are feeling frazzled too?

Is all stress ‘bad’?

A common misconception is that stress is inherently negative. This is not the case, we need some low-level stress to learn, grow and develop. ‘Good stress’ might look like this: we feel motivated, and buzzing with energy, are focused, can concentrate and think creatively.

However, when our workload, family or other challenging events tip us into a state of ongoing stress and we aren’t able to work through the issue(s), it can lead to anxiety, sleeplessness, brain fog, low productivity, low mood and physical health issues.

Often our expectations, self-criticism and past experiences can cause us stress too and greatly affect our ability to deal with challenges with a positive mindset.

So how can we best manage stress when it starts to affect us?

For #stressawarenessmonth, here are my top tips for how to build your mental fitness and reduce stress.

Cut the overwhelm

A big misconception is a belief that your sense of busyness is coming from your long to-do list. It’s likely not. Let me explain…

• If you are frenzied, you are likely indecisive. Your mind is trying to negotiate decisions about your day in real-time. This indecision will create stress. Decide ahead of time and take time to plan your day. Schedule it and stick to it. You will feel less overwhelmed and be more efficient and productive.

• You may feel stressed because of the meaning your mind is attaching to your day. Thoughts like “I have so much to do” or “I can’t get this all done” are sending a signal to your body that things are out of control (fight or flight)! These thoughts will make you feel trapped, stressed, and busy. You are less productive when you have mind drama. Practice moving through your day without the drama. Be a person who is not frenzied. Be a person who moves from one thing to the next as if nothing is on fire. Because nothing is on fire (hopefully!).

• Beware of multitasking: Multitasking feels helpful but promotes stress and damages productivity. The constant mental switching fatigues your brain and makes you less efficient. Do one task at a time and avoid distractions.

• Give your brain a break! Take regular breaks throughout the day. Even 10 minutes in between meetings makes a huge difference to your state of mind. An activity that consumes your energy and attention and helps you to be in the moment is best to destress your mind. If you are stuck for ideas, take some deep breaths with your eyes closed and focus on the sensations of your breath. Safeguard some time to do something you find calming or that brings you joy outside of work hours.

• Be confident in your ability to deal with your challenges. Think about your resources such as your strengths and skills (or other competencies), social networks etc. that you can draw upon. What has worked before for you? How did you relax, calm down and focus? Reflect on what you have done in previous times when you felt calmer and less overwhelmed and then craft ways to bring more of that into your here and now.

Take care of yourself

Pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Do things you enjoy, find relaxing and that make you happy. Spend time with people who lift you up. Connection fuels us. Of course, also try to exercise regularly, eat healthy food, and get a good night’s sleep. Taking care of yourself enables your mind and body to deal with challenging situations that require resilience.

And finally, watch out for your inner judge 👿

A lot of our stress comes from fears about ‘bad outcomes’. That voice in your head, saying “I am screwed if I fail in this project” or “People will think I am not capable if I don’t get this done”. Paradoxically, you are more likely to succeed and prevent these ‘bad outcomes’ if you don’t worry about them so much. This is because you are less likely to get derailed by overreacting and stressing out every time a small glitch happens.

Your clear-headed, positive and centred mind is more resourceful and creative in responding to hiccups, helping you recover from setbacks and challenges faster. 

Ultimately, there is learning and an opportunity even in failure if we look for it. When we approach challenges from this perspective, our stress is reduced. We can be our best and deal with situations with a positive mindset, no matter what happens 🧠.

➡️ Which of these tips will you give a go? What other strategies would you add? Would love to hear in the comments.

If you want to build your #mentalfitness, destress and learn how to respond to challenges with a positive mindset you are in the right place! 👇

🧠 My next Mental Fitness group boot camp kicks off in mid-May (first group call on 20th May).

It's perfect for you if you want to

• grow your confidence and resilience and want to handle what life throws at you with a more positive mindset.
• achieve (and exceed!) your goals without the stress.
• stop self-sabotaging habits that stand in your way (bye-bye inner critic, procrastination and overwhelm!) and find more happiness and growth, fast.

The 8-week app-guided group programme includes live coaching, masterclasses and the exclusive Positive Intelligence app for daily personalised brain exercises to shift your mindset and build new positive habits (= new neural pathways 🧠).

It's a small group programme for deep learning and personal attention from me so grab your seat now!

You can find out more and read reviews from previous participants here:

Mental Fitness Bootcamp

Send me a message 📨 if you have any questions!