How to improve your stress management

Stress can be triggered by a wide variety of factors and usually affects your body not only psychologically, but also physically.

In situations of high stress, the organism releases two hormones: adrenaline and cortisone. These put it on alert and prepare it for the next action. In such stressful situations, breathing usually becomes rapid and shallow and the heart beats faster, which increases blood pressure. The muscles tense up more and the sensitivity to pain decreases. The body is thus getting ready for the next action. Once the stressful situation is over, hormone production winds down and the body calms down. However, it is also possible that the body cannot get out of this permanent stress at all and remains continuously in this tense state. Therefore, you should first become aware of whether this is the case with you, because often the perception in stressful phases is not necessarily close to reality.

If the following symptoms occur frequently in your current life phase, you should definitely think about your current stress management: Heart and circulation problems such as dizziness, palpitations or breathing difficulties, back and neck pain, joint problems, frequent headaches, gastrointestinal disorders, sleep disorders, fatigue or exhaustion. Of course, there are many more symptoms, but if you often have to struggle with such complaints, it could already be a sign of too high a stress level in your everyday life. The causes are of course very individual, but in many cases stress occurs at work. Common triggering factors are, for example, high performance or deadline pressure, conflicts with work colleagues, constant availability due to digitalization, or an excessive level of self-demand. However, stress can also be aggravated by an unhealthy diet or a lack of exercise.

In order to get a grip on this negative stress, we now have a few tips for you on how you can improve your stress management and thus sustainably reduce stress.

1. be honest with yourself

Many people suppress the factor that they have too much stress in their everyday life. Too many challenges at work aggravate the situation and in addition, one's own ego pushes one to do justice to everything. One's own needs are then put on the back burner, because they have no priority at that moment and thus have to take a back seat on the waiting list. However, this is the completely wrong way! The body may not mind for a certain time, but how long will it withstand the overload. Will it eventually get back what it really needed all along?

The body needs a break and not just in a few months when everything is already too late. Right now is the time for YOU to be honest with yourself! Are those daily headaches perhaps coming from high stress levels instead of the change in weather? And the neck pain that's been plaguing you for a few weeks isn't from a pulled muscle after all. Of course, the body suppresses a lot of things, but you should not let it come to that! Try to notice if you have too much stress and what is causing it! Only then you can act and change the situation.

2. towards healthy egoism

You always try to please everyone, but then YOU often fall by the wayside. Your needs are put behind, because you have to fulfill your duty. Abandon others? That is out of the question! However, this is exactly the mistake: You have the responsibility to be efficient in the long run and not only for the next months. If stress eats you up at some point and your performance decreases, then you are no longer of any use to others. So wouldn't it make much more sense to think long-term?

Take responsibility for yourself! Not only for others, but especially for yourself and your body. Just think of yourself first and not always of your work colleagues first. A certain healthy egoism is anything but unnecessary! It is totally appropriate and protects you and your health! And if your work colleagues don't understand, you should definitely talk to them. Only then can they understand your situation and possibly even help you. You should avoid people who have no understanding for you and your problems. It sounds hard, but this is the only way to be healthy and happy in the long run.

3. only take on what you can really accomplish

Far too often we get bogged down in the vast amount of tasks that come our way every day. Most of them we can not work off at all, because our time simply does not allow it. But what's the point of taking on such a huge amount of tasks? Right: In the end it brings you nothing but stress! Because at the end of the day you go to bed with a negative, unsatisfying feeling and you know that the tasks will overwhelm you again the next day. That's not a good way to sleep at all, is it?

Wouldn't it make much more sense to prioritize your tasks and only put as many on your to-do list as you can actually manage? I'm sure you'll go to bed much happier in the evening and get up with a much higher motivation the next day! Setting priorities also means learning to say "NO" sometimes and deciding against something. Analyze your daily routine and eliminate the so-called "time eaters". You can also write down a time limit for each task that you want to stick to. This way you won't sit on it longer than necessary and you'll learn to estimate the time needed for different challenges. Eventually, you'll become so efficient that you'll be able to complete a much higher number of tasks, plus you won't get into time stress.

4. build in breaks in combination with exercise

Breaks are the key to getting through the day successfully. The brain can only concentrate for a certain amount of time, and when stressed beyond that, it usually just becomes inefficient. If you work without breaks, you encourage mistakes, work slower, and are subject to much higher stress levels.

Breaks can give you rest and give you new energy for the rest of the day. Thus, the stress is not too great and you can successfully cope with the day. In combination with exercise, you can also do something for your health! Instead of sitting on your desk chair during the break, I would recommend you to go for a walk. Fresh air can additionally increase your efficiency at work and reduce stress, because the oxygen content in the brain is increased and thus the blood circulation is promoted. The circulatory system gets going and the body gains new energy. Exercise can additionally help you lift your mood and dispel feelings of anxiety, because it leads to the production of the happiness hormones endorphin and serotonin in the body. In addition, bright light stimulates the production of happy hormones and increases your sense of well-being.

5. positive thinking can change the world

Often stress comes with negative thoughts and a pessimistic attitude. If you have already followed the first points and the stress level is still too high, then maybe you should work on your attitude. Positive thinking means changing your perspective on a certain situation and simply evaluating it in a more positive way. As the saying goes, pessimists always see the glass half empty instead of half full. And this may also apply to you: Instead of looking back on your day with the words "Today I got some things done again", you should rather direct your view to the positive "Today I got some things done again".

Due to stress, people are often tempted to put themselves down or get ready. You should definitely get away from that! Because thinking positively also includes appreciating yourself, having respect and motivating yourself. Instead of putting yourself down with phrases like "I'll never make it", you should believe in yourself and not constantly doubt your abilities. Because you are capable of much more than you usually think. How many times have you been faced with a challenge and ultimately mastered it brilliantly? You should think back to such situations and give yourself courage.