Most of us live with stress which, in small doses, can be beneficial says Travis Bradberry* who has some advice on how to keep it under control.
The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance.
TalentSmart research has found that 90 per cent of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress.
The tricky thing about stress is that it’s an absolutely necessary emotion.
Our brains are wired so that it’s difficult to take action until we feel some level of this emotional state.
As long as the stress isn’t prolonged, it’s harmless.
Research from the University of California, Berkeley, reveals an upside to experiencing moderate levels of stress.
It also reinforces how important it is to keep stress under control.
The study, led by post-doctoral fellow, Elizabeth Kirby, found the onset of stress entices the brain into growing new cells responsible for improved memory.
However, this effect is seen only when stress is intermittent.
Dr Kirby says that for animals, intermittent stress is the bulk of what they experience, in the form of physical threats in their environment.
Long ago, this was also the case for humans.
As the human brain evolved and increased in complexity, we’ve developed the ability to worry.
This creates frequent experiences of prolonged stress.
Besides increasing the risk of heart disease, depression, and obesity, stress decreases cognitive performance.
Fortunately, the bulk of this stress is subjective and under your control.
Top performers have well-honed coping strategies they employ under stressful circumstances.
This lowers their stress levels regardless of what’s happening in their environment, ensuring the stress they experience is intermittent and not prolonged.
I’ve run across numerous effective strategies that smart people employ when faced with stress, what follows are some of the best.
They appreciate what they have:
Taking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for isn’t merely the right thing to do.
It improves your mood, because it reduces the stress hormone cortisol.
They avoid asking what if:
“What if?” statements throw fuel on the fire of stress and worry.
The more time spent worrying about the possibilities, the less time spent focusing on taking action that will calm you down.
They stay positive:
Positive thoughts help make stress intermittent by focusing the brain’s attention onto something that is stress-free.
You have to give your wandering brain a little help by consciously selecting something positive to think about.
Any positive thought will do to refocus your attention.
Perhaps you’re looking forward to an exciting event you can focus your attention on.
They disconnect:
Given the importance of keeping stress intermittent, it’s easy to see how taking time off the grid can help keep stress under control.
Forcing yourself offline and even turning off your phone gives your body a break from a constant source of stress.
You’ll be amazed at how refreshing these breaks are and how they reduce stress by putting a mental recharge into your schedule.
They limit their caffeine intake:
Drinking caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline.
Adrenaline is the source of the ‘fight-or-flight’ response, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat.
This is great when a bear is chasing you, but not so great when you’re responding to a curt email.
The stress that caffeine creates is far from intermittent, as its long half-life ensures it takes time working its way out of your body.
They sleep:
When you sleep, your brain recharges, so you wake up alert and clear-headed.
Your self-control, attention, and memory are all reduced when you don’t get enough — or the right kind — of sleep.
Not taking the time to get a decent night’s sleep is often the one thing keeping you from getting things under control.
They squash negative self-talk:
A big step in managing stress involves stopping negative self-talk.
The more you ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them.
Most of our negative thoughts are just that — thoughts, not facts.
Once you’ve taken a moment to slow down the negative momentum of your thoughts, you will be more rational in evaluating their veracity.
They reframe their perspective:
Stress and worry are fuelled by our skewed perception of events.
It’s easy to think that unrealistic deadlines, unforgiving bosses and out-of-control traffic are the reasons we’re so stressed.
A great way to correct this unproductive thought pattern is to list the specific things that actually are going wrong or not working out.
Most likely you will come up with just some things — not everything — and the scope of these stressors will look much more limited than it initially appeared.
They breathe:
The easiest way to make stress intermittent lies in something that you have to do every day anyway — breathing.
When you’re feeling stressed, take a couple of minutes to focus on your breathing.
Close the door, put away all other distractions; just sit in a chair and breathe.
This may seem too easy or even a little silly, but you’ll be surprised by how calm you feel afterward and how much easier it is to let go of distracting thoughts.
They use their support system:
It’s tempting, yet entirely ineffective, to attempt tackling everything by yourself.
To be calm and productive, you need to recognise your weaknesses and ask for help when you need it.
This means tapping into your support system when a situation is challenging enough for you to feel overwhelmed.
Most of the time, other people can see a solution that you can’t because they are not as emotionally invested in the situation.
Asking for help will mitigate your stress and strengthen your relationships with those you rely upon.
*Travis Bradberry is the co-founder of TalentSmart, a provider of emotional intelligence tests, emotional intelligence training, and emotional intelligence certification. He can be contacted at TalentSmart.com.
This article first appeared on the TalentSmart website
