Stress management is important because chronic stress can harm physical and mental health. The document provides several strategies for managing stress, including scheduling breaks during the workday to recharge, prioritizing important tasks, addressing interruptions, getting sufficient sleep, and using breathing techniques to relax. Proper nutrition, regular exercise, and changing negative perspectives can also help reduce stress levels.

1. HOW TO MANAGE STRESS
BY GRACIOUS

2. WHAT IS STRESS
• Stress is an emotional or physical feeling of tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you
feel frustrated, angry, or nervous.
• Stress is your body's reaction to a challenge or demand. In short bursts, stress can be positive, such as when it
helps you avoid danger or meet a deadline. But when stress lasts for a long time, it may harm your health.
• Stress is a normal feeling. There are two main types of stress:
• Acute stress. This is short-term stress that goes away quickly. You
feel it when you slam on the brakes, have a fight with your partner,
or ski down a steep slope. It helps you manage dangerous
situations. It also occurs when you do something new or exciting.
All people have acute stress at one time or another.
• Chronic stress. This is stress that lasts for a longer period of time.
You may have chronic stress if you have money problems, an
unhappy marriage, or trouble at work. Any type of stress that goes
on for weeks or months is chronic stress. You can become so used
to chronic stress that you don't realize it is a problem. If you don't
find ways to manage stress, it may lead to health problems.

3. SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
• So many people may be passing through stress but may not realize it. The symptoms below can give you an idea on whether
you are stressed or not:
• Forgetfulness
• Frequent aches and pains
• Headaches
• Lack of energy or focus
• Sexual problems
• Stiff jaw or neck
• Tiredness
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
• Upset stomach
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Use of alcohol or drugs to relax
• Weight loss or gain

4. • Everyone feels stressed from time to time. Not all stress is
bad. All animals have a stress response, and it can be life-
saving. But chronic stress can cause both physical and mental
harm.
• Other kinds of stress:
• Routine stress related to the pressures of work, family, and
other daily responsibilities
• Stress brought about by a sudden negative change, such as
losing a job, divorce, or illness
• Traumatic stress, which happens when you are in danger of
being seriously hurt or killed. Examples include a major
accident, war, assault, or a natural disaster. This type of
stress can cause post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

5. • "People want answers on how best they can manage stress because everyone feels overwhelmed and
overly busy."
• Is there a way to maintain steady focus throughout the day? Is it possible to do everything that needs to
get done and still have energy left over after work? How do you keep cool under so many demands?
• Some people cope with stress more effectively than others. It's important to know your limits when it
comes to stress, so you can avoid more serious health effects.
• There are strategies you can use to take your work stress down a peg, before it takes over your life.

6. STEPS TO MANAGE STRESS
• Act Rather Than React
• We experience stress when we feel that situations are out of our control. It activates the stress
hormone and, if chronic, wears down confidence, concentration and well-being. What you simply need
to do is to identify the aspects of the situation you can control and aspects you can't.
• If you're feeling overwhelmed or are coming out of a tense meeting and need to clear your head, a few
minutes of deep breathing will restore balance. Simply inhale for five seconds, hold and exhale in equal
counts through the nose.

7. Reduce Interruptions
• "Most of us are bombarded during the day,". Emails, phone calls, pop ins, instant messages and sudden,
urgent deadlines conspire to make today's workers more distracted than ever. While you may not have control
over the interrupters, you can control your response. You can respond in one of three ways: Accept the
interruption, cut it off, or diagnose its importance and make a plan. Many interruptions are recurring and can
be anticipated. You want to have preset criteria for which response you want to make. You can also train those
around you by answering email during certain windows, setting up office hours to talk in person or closing the
door when you need to focus.
Schedule Your Day For Energy And Focus
• Most of us go through the day using a "push, push, push"
approach, thinking if we work the full eight to 10 hours, we'll get
more done. Instead, productivity goes down, stress levels go up
and you have very little energy left over for your family. In this kind
of situation, it is important to schedule breaks within the day to
walk, stretch at your desk or do a breathing exercise. It has been
proven by Tony Schwartz that if we have intense concentration for
about 90 minutes, followed by a brief period of recovery, we can
clear the buildup of stress and rejuvenate ourselves.

8. Change Your Story
• Your perspective of stressful office events is typically a subjective interpretation of the facts, often seen
through the filter of your own self-doubt. However, if you can step back and take a more objective view,
you'll be more effective and less likely to take things personally.
Eat Right And Sleep Well
• Eating badly can stress your system. It is advisable to eat a
low-sugar, high-protein diet. Also, when you don’t sleep
well, you don’t get the rejuvenating effects. A good
number of people do not get sufficient sleep, which is a
critical recovery period for the body. If racing thoughts
keep you from falling asleep or you wake up in the night
and can't get back to sleep, there’s a simple breathing trick
that will knock you out fast: Cover your right nostril and
breathe through your left for three to five minutes.

9. Identify Self-Imposed Stress
• "Learn to stop self imposing stress by building your own self-confidence rather than seeking other's approval."
If you're too caught up in others' perceptions of you, which you can't control, you become stressed out by the
minutia or participate in avoidance behaviors like procrastination. Ironically, once you shift your focus from
others' perception of your work to the work itself, you're more likely to impress them.
Cool Down Quickly
"When you feel frustrated or angry, it's a
heated feeling in your body that can cause you
to react." Instead of immediately reacting—
and likely overreacting—she suggests trying a
"cooling breath" technique: Breathe in through
your mouth as if you are sipping through a
straw, and then breathe out normally through
your nose.

10. • Prioritize Your Priorities
• With competing deadlines and fast-changing priorities, it's critical to define what's truly important and why. That requires
clarity. Cull your to-do list by focusing on those projects that will have the most impact and are best aligned with your goals.
• Influence Others
• Even if you're responsible for your behavior and outlook, you're still left dealing with other people's stressful behavior. For
coworkers or employees with bad behavior, you need to address the issue in a respectful tone, describing the impact on the
team and the individual, and requesting a change.
• Be Your Own Best Critic
• About 60,000 thoughts stream through your mind each day. Internal negativity is just as likely to stress you out as an external
event. Instead of being harsh and critical of yourself, try pumping yourself up. Encouraging thoughts will help motivate you to
achieve and ultimately train you to inspire others.

11. THANK YOU