They say there's more than one way to skin a cat. The same goes
when you start tearing your hair out with all the frustration,
grief, anxiety, and yes, stress. It's a state of mental
conditioning that is like taking that bitter pill down your
throat, causing you to lose your sense of self, and worse your
sanity. Just thinking about it can drive anyone off the edge.

And they say that the proactive ones are already living off the
edge.

As one stressed-out person to another, I know how it feels, and
believe me there are many variants when it comes to stress.
Coping with life, and carrying the problems that may or may not
belong to you can scratch away the little joy and happiness that
you can carry once you head out that door. You can't blame them
for being like that; they have their own reasons, so much like
we have our reasons to allow stress to weigh us down. They say
that stress is all in the mind, well, what's bugging you anyway?

There are several ways to manage stress, and eventually remove
it out of your life one of these days. So I'll try to divide it
into a seven-day course for you and I promise it's not going to
be too taxing on the body, as well as on the mind.


1. Acknowledge stress is good 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. Avoid stress sneezers Stressed people sneeze stress germs
indiscriminately and before you know it, you are infected too!

Protect yourself by recognizing 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 themselves.

3. Learn from the best When people around are losing their head,
who 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. Practice socially acceptable heavy breathing This is
something I've learned from a gym instructor: 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. Give stressy thoughts the red light 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 trigger points and hot spots 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 decaf?

7. Burn the candle at one end 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!

So having stress can be a total drag, but that should not hinder
us to find the inner peace of mind that we have wanted for a
long time. In any case, one could always go to the Bahamas and
bask under the summer sun.
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