There are two kinds of people in difficult times — those who can’t cope with the chaos and think everything is an ordeal. And then there are those who seem to go with the flow and manage what’s in their control, no matter how difficult the circumstances.
But you can do something about it — your ability to resist the damaging effects of stress can strengthen your ability to thrive under pressure.
Create smart (default) habits that can make stress work for you
Without a proper structure, you can experience decision fatigue, stress, and frustration. To create some kind of normalcy, build new routines, habits or patterns that can reduce the number of random decisions you have to make. Uncertainty and chaos can upset many things in your schedule and life but you if take control, you can reduce the effects of stress.
If you’re feeling stressed about something, use that stress to draft up a battle plan to make sure nothing does go askew. It’s like your nudge to get moving. Create and commit to the most impactful systems or habits that can make the process of change easier and build resilience.
Add some music to your day — it doesn’t matter what type as much as whether you enjoy it. Music can calm your experience of stress. Building time for leisure into your schedule could be key to helping you feel your best. And when you feel better, you’ll perform better.
Do something that makes you happy — by doing one small thing each day, you can create something much larger that helps you to overcome stress. “Research on positive affect — being in a good mood — shows that when people do small things that lift their mood, it creates an ‘upward spiral’ of positive feelings that lead, put simply, to an increased resilience toward stress,” says Elizabeth Scott, MS, a wellness coach specializing in stress management and quality of life.
By all means, occupy your time with something that can take your mind off the stressful situation. “Even in circumstances of great suffering, human beings have a natural capacity to find hope, exert choice, and make meaning. This is why in our own lives, the most common effects of stress include strength, growth, and resilience, ” writes McGonigal. By choosing to do something, you can switch from paralysis to action.
网友评论