Life Lessons
Do This To Maintain Your Calm In The Face Of Daily Stress
11 Profound Tips To Help You Better Manage Your Daily Life Stress
Anticipating the dark days ahead, in mid-1939, the British Government designed and produced several morale-boosting, motivational posters to be used in the event of war.
One such poster read, ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’, and though it was not widely distributed during the war, or probably never posted, the slogan has become so popular that, even today, it has inspired innumerable imitations and parodies.
There’s a reason this message remains timeless: whether it’s from a major event or our daily lives with work, school, home, relationships, stress is a normal occurrence to deal with for most of us. As James Allen said,
‘The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. The calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.’
This, unfortunately in today’s’ age, is easier said than done.
To thrive in this fast-paced, digitally revolutionized world, we need to find ways to deal with our daily life stress and uncertainties. There are 100s of researches and scientific studies out there that show the deep connection between staying calm and productivity. Please allow me to share what I find helpful on a daily basis:
1. Prepare And Plan
To being prepared and planning ahead is a great way of preventing stress in our daily lives. Though we don’t always know what’s going to walk through the door, if we observe deeply, we probably have a pretty good idea of the types of pressures we encounter regularly. Considering those general types of pressure, staying organised and making a list of how and when you will tackle each one of the items in your list can make a huge difference.
2. Write Things Out And Make lists
This is how I deal with almost everything daily. Writing things down, making lists and weigh pros & cons is a great idea to deal with stress triggers. Write down all the possibilities, why you can and can’t change and weigh them consciously, with full awareness.
3. Assert Yourself And Say ‘No’
You do not have to meet others’ expectations or demands all the time. It’s okay to say ‘No.’ Remember, being assertive allows you to stand up for your rights and beliefs while respecting those of others.
4. Focus On The Bright Side
Criticizing ourselves for all we didn’t get done won’t help. Instead, we are far better off being grateful for all that we did do. Appreciate your efforts and focus on the bright side. The more we practice looking on the bright side of things, the less frightening and grim a stressful situation seems.
5. Pause And Breathe- The 10 Seconds Rule
No matter what is going on around you, take a break and breathe deeply for 10 seconds. Let whatever going on within you, your feelings, wave through you and pass. In those 10 seconds of deep breathing, do not resist anything, just let them go. The good and bad, the right and wrong, everything. Resisting will not help rather will hurt you. Train yourself to feel your feelings, to acknowledge your feelings and consider what they are trying to communicate to you.
6. Your Reality, Not Your Emotional Narrative
‘Get connected to your reality, your real life, instead of your emotionally soaked self-talk narrative about your life.’, says Gary John Bishop. To find real joy on a day-to-day basis, it’s important to focus on your present moment and everything that you have to be grateful for. Doing this requires you to ask yourself what’s happening right in this moment as opposed to what’s happening in your head.
7. Your Inner Monologues
You know those voices in our head and the stories we tell ourselves throughout the day? How we pretend, we are this and we are that and all in between? These monologues with ourselves are the most draining part and a major source of stress in our daily life. What we tell ourselves, matters. Change those voices, if they are not helping you evolve, and the story to reflect the truth.
8. Be Flexible And Rearrange
Change is the only constant and sometimes changes in our life require some rearranging too. A little change here & there in your plans and rearrangement in your schedules, in your daily activities, can produce great results. When your personal or professional life undergoes a major change, the absence of little events of our life becomes much clearer. Keeping in mind those little events of our life, be flexible in changing and rearranging!
9. Trust Yourself
Sometimes, there are valid reasons to change our plans, however, in the absence of a compelling reason, it’s always best to stick to the plans we have outlined for ourselves. Trust yourself and move ahead with your outlined planned. Random changes will only confuse us and put us behind schedule.
10. Your Gut Is Your Atlas
Those little whispers, little voices are not to be ignored. Listen to your gut. Yes, it’s a tricky though, but if you take a pause, breathe deeply and practise regularly, you may soon befriend with your gut. So often arriving in a swamp of other ‘nonsensical’ thoughts and feeling, they are easy to brush off and ignored. Believe me, it’s worth your time to learn to differentiate what your gut feeling is.
11. Don’t Hesitate To Delegate
Don’t be afraid to reach out to others for help when needed, and offer to assist them in return. There is comfort in not being alone in times of stress.
Keep Calm and Carry On!
