Prevention is always better than cure, and learning how to better handle stressful events and situations is essential to avoid unfortunate longer term consequences to our physical and psychological or emotional wellbeing.
There is an obvious truth which is that everyone will experience difficult stress at some point in their lives. It could be a life event such as bereavement or a relationship breakdown, or it could be a major change in your work or financial situation.
It's at such times it's crucial to look after yourself and to take steps to better weather the situation. That's why taking care of your own balances is so important. No one is a superhero when you think about it, though some may pretend to be, or feel they have to be.
So yes when stressful things happen we need to cope as best we can, and ensure we apply some obvious remedy, and there is so much you can do. To name a few:
- Look after your sleep patterns and diet
- Exercise regularly
- Take time out for yourself and engage in something you love to do
- Try not to take the stressful situation too personally
- Be open about your feelings with friends and those you can trust
- Relax more
- Seek flexible working arrangements where you can
- Remember that you can only do what you can do
There are simply so many tips available today, that work towards restoring balance. The common mistake is to do those things only when you need to, rather than making some of them part of your mindset and lifestyle ongoingly.
Taking the long term view
This means more than simply looking to immediate solutions. Taking a long view means:
- Accepting that stress happens and being better prepared for when it does
- Developing emotional resilience
- Understanding yourself
- Developing flexibility in the face of uncertainty
- Enjoying the challenges of life and work including some of the pressures that can happen
Why does this need a long term view? Simply put its a personal development process to always keep a watch on balances, to develop self-awareness, to be aware of consequences, to more consciously decide how you're going to respond to pressure and potential stress. All so that you can more readily engage in life and what you really want to do and be different about it if needs be - rather than repeat the mistakes you may have made before.
By Nick Woodeson October 2023
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