Feeling anxious or stressed? Many times I feel both.
This is very common among small business owners. Roger Cohen in the New York Times says “there’s a lot of status anxiety going about these days. People live suspended between the anxiety of being deluged in communication and the agony of receiving none. They have always wanted to be liked, but now they must also be “liked”…They are either on top of things, a momentary illusion, or overwhelmed, a permanent state intermittently denied. They look around wondering how it is possible to keep up. They have access to everything and certainty about nothing. They zigzag between indulgence and denial, frenetic states and cleansing cures, their busy selves and their better selves…They amass to-do lists that cannot get done.”
Diet, exercise and sleep are three of the best ways to battle this permanent state of stress. But what about right now during a very hectic day? Here are seven strategies to lower your stress in five minutes or less and make work enjoyable.
1. Create “Happy” Passwords
Pick passwords that make you smile or feel inspired each time you type them. Try including a name of someone you love, a few words from your favorite quote, or a word that sparks a favorite memory. For example, Be@chH0u$e could represent fond family memories at the beach.
2. Let Go of Those Thoughts
Write down on paper the thoughts that keep repeating in your head. Start writing a list, a rant, or whatever is most troubling. You will be surprised how much less stressful things appear on paper than they do in your head.
3. Practice Controlled Breathing
Sit in your chair with your back straight. Breathe in for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of seven, and exhale for a count of eight. Repeat for five minutes. This technique, “4-7-8 breathing”, is a version of meditation that will help you get centered.
4. Play Brain Games
Brain games are easy mental activities that help channel thinking away from stressful thoughts. Brain games include counting backwards by three starting at 100, reciting the lyrics of an entire song without the music or creating a sentence where every word must begin with the same letter.
5. Grab Some Food
Foods affect our emotional and mental well-being. Foods high in omega-3s, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins B, A, K can help beat stress. They include eggs, dark, leafy greens like kale, pumpkin seeds, salmon or canned tuna, flaxseed, and dark chocolate. If you’re not hungry, grab a green apple to alleviate a headache!
6. Give Yourself an Ear Massage
An ear massage releases calming endorphins in the brain. Start by using your thumbs to massage the ears from lobes to temples, then follow these four steps to ease the tension of a stressful moment.
7. Smile!
Even when you don’t feel like it, smile. It’s difficult to have stressful thoughts when you are smiling. A facial smile will make you search for happier thoughts. Sit at your desk with your eyes closed and smile for two to three minutes, or walk around and smile at others. You can’t help but feel better.
Which strategy will you use to lower your stress at work?
Republished by permission. Original here.
Stressed Photo via Shutterstock
It is upto us to make life more happening then taking unwanted stress. For which above given tips can really work wonder to combat it. As we all do hard work to make a good living, but that shouldn’t be done at the cost of our health. That is why, measure & precaution needs to be there to enjoy work at work stations too.