7 Successful Stress Management Techniques

Everyone needs successful stress management techniques. Easy to learn and easy to implement, you can use them for your own stress management or teach them to help others manage theirs.

Manage your stress and be a healthier, happier and more pleasant person to be around. Let's cut to the chase?

1. Make stress your friend

Acknowledge that stress is good and make stress your friend! Based on the body's natural "fight or flight" response, that burst of energy will enhance your performance at the right moment. I've yet to see a top sportsman totally relaxed before a big competition. Use stress wisely to push yourself that little bit harder when it counts most.

2. Stress is contagious

Stressed people sneeze stress germs indiscriminately and before you know it, you are infected with stress germs too!

Protect yourself from stress germs by recognising stress in others and limiting your contact with them. Or if you've got the inclination, play stress doctor and teach them how to better manage their stress.

3. Copy good stress managers

When people around are losing their head, which keeps calm? What are they doing differently? What is their attitude? What language do they use? Are they trained and experienced?

Figure it out from afar or sit them down for a chat. Learn from the best stress managers and copy what they do.

4. Use heavy breathing.

You can trick your body into relaxing by using heavy breathing. Breathe in slowly for a count of 7 then breathe out for a count of 11. Repeat the 7-11 breathing until your heart rate slows down, your sweaty palms dry off and things start to feel more normal.

5. Stop stress thought trains

It is possible to tangle yourself up in a stress knot all by yourself. "If this happens, then that might happen and then we're all up the creek!" Most of these things never happen, so why waste all that energy worrying needlessly?

Give stress thought-trains the red light and stop them in their tracks. Okay so it might go wrong ? how likely is that, and what can you do to prevent it?

6. Know your stress hot spots and trigger points

Presentations, interviews, meetings, giving difficult feedback, tight deadlines??. My heart rate is cranking up just writing these down!

Make your own list of stress trigger points or hot spots. Be specific. Is it only presentations to a certain audience that get you worked up? Does one project cause more stress than another? Did you drink too much coffee?

Knowing what causes you stress is powerful information, as you can take action to make it less stressful. Do you need to learn some new skills? Do you need extra resources? Do you need to switch to de-caffeinated coffee?

7. Eat, drink, sleep and be merry!

Lack of sleep, poor diet and no exercise wreaks havoc on our body and mind. Kind of obvious, but worth mentioning as it's often ignored as a stress management technique. Listen to your mother and don't burn the candle at both ends!

And those are the 7 successful stress management techniques! Take time to learn them, use them and teach them, and be a great stress manager.

Lyndsay Swinton is an experienced team leader, people manager and business coach. Her website is www.mftrou.com - 'Management for the rest of us'. Subscribe to her free no-nonsense Management Tips newsletter at mftrou.com today.

---

Army Ranger Reveals How to Control Corporate Stress

"Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into... Read More

Minimize Stress in Your Life

Use these simple tips to minimize stress in your day... Read More

How To Recognize Stress And Its Effects Before It Takes You Over

Stress affects different people in different ways, but affect them... Read More

Self Indulgence: It Isn?t Just About Chocolate

It's no secret that we women, by virtue of our... Read More

Panic Is No Laughing Matter

Burt Reynolds revealed his vulnerable side when he realized he... Read More

How To Stress Less and Smile More-The Six Fundamental Steps To Improved Health

More than two-thirds of visits to doctors' surgeries are for... Read More

Stress Management: 9 Universal Laws for Problem Solving

1. The Law of GiftsRichard Bach, author of "Illusions" says... Read More

Stress Busting Strategies

Learn to have healthy relationships:This subject could fill an entire... Read More

Self-Healing Basics

* The material presented in this article is provided for... Read More

4 Steps to Teaching Your Family to Treat You Better

Case #1- Elizabeth, a 40 year old homemaker was always... Read More

Stress Management and Mastery: Shake It Off and Step Up

The moment I read the story I'm about to share... Read More

Are YOU Controlling Stress So Stress Does Not Control YOU?

Have you recently moved or started a new job? Do... Read More

Rising to the Top: Overcoming Bad Situations

We've all been there, right? We find ourselves living with... Read More

The Top 10 Steps to DeStress

Do you feel tense and anxious at work? Do your... Read More

Why Stress Is Not Necessary

We are not designed for long term stress.It causes us... Read More

[Emotional Health] Are You Feeling In Control?

When it is all said and done, do you feel... Read More

Extreme Self-care: Make Time for Yourself

If you've recently experienced loss or are going through a... Read More

Getting Rid of Your Frustrations

Punch a pillowScream into a pillowTurn on your favorite music... Read More

Stress Management: Problem Land or Solution Land

In my experience, most of us spend a lot more... Read More

Adventures in Relieving Stress

Whether we are at work, traveling, or at home, we've... Read More

Is Your Workplace Suffering from Contagious Stress?

We wonder how many of you might recognise this scenario?... Read More

Make a Handbag - Discover Inner Peace and Stress Reduction

Have you ever considered sewing a handbag as an act... Read More

Living on the Edge: Stressed Out and Nowhere to Go

Is your stress level higher than it should be? Are... Read More

20 Ways to Shift Worry Into Attractive Energy

Worry, big or small blocks positive vibrations from entering your... Read More

Stress Management and Mastery: How to Learn from Mistakes

Q. I've been told that I need to learn from... Read More

Stress Symptoms

Stress relief and managementRecognizing stress symptoms can be a positive... Read More

Nipping Stress In the Bud: The Principles of Stress Relief

Stress is normal. Stress is OK. Stress is the same... Read More

Stress Mangement and Mastery: How to Defeat Sunday Night Syndrome

Picture the following scene:It's Sunday evening, the weekend is winding... Read More

Improving Self Esteem with Affirmations and Therapeutic Relaxation Music

Positive self-esteem is very important for our general health and... Read More

Stress - A Modern Cause of Disease

Every day we are faced with a situation where our... Read More

Dealing with Workplace Stress

One of the hardest forms of stress to avoid is... Read More

Through Stress Comes Kindness

In these times when companies are constantly down-sizing and right-sizing... Read More

Deep Breathing ? How It Can Simultaneously Improve Health And Bring You Closer To Your Goals

I hope by reading this article you will see the... Read More