How do you manage stress?
Stress is an inevitable part of life. I’ve learned that managing stress isn’t necessarily about eliminating the things that cause it. Sometimes it’s about finding a better way to live with them. Over the years, I’ve developed three simple practices that help me: Walk it off. Sleep on it. Talk it through.
Walk it off. I’m an active person, and physical activity helps me manage stress. Walking is particularly helpful, whether it’s taking the dog for a walk or spending a few hours bushwalking. There’s something about moving, being outdoors, and getting away from whatever is troubling me that helps me process emotion. Quite often, a way forward emerges when I’ve stopped actively looking for one.
Sleep on it. I’ve learned that staying awake worrying about things rarely makes them better. I’m naturally an early-to-bed, early-to-rise person, and a good night’s sleep makes an enormous difference. The problem may be exactly the same in the morning, but I’m not. My mind is clearer, I have more energy, and I’m better equipped to deal with whatever I’m dealing with.
Talk it through. I’m grateful to have a wise and experienced mentor. There have been times when I’ve been at my wits’ end, and a conversation with him has helped me see something I couldn’t see for myself. Sometimes he’s put his finger on the heart of the problem and opened up a way forward. Other times he’s helped me recognise that there are things I simply cannot resolve, however hard I try. Either way, I don’t carry stress alone. I find someone I trust to share it with.
These three practices work together. Walking helps me regain perspective. Sleep restores my energy. Conversation brings wisdom and reminds me that I don’t have to work everything out for myself.
None of them guarantees that the problem will disappear. Some situations require patience, others require difficult decisions, and some involve circumstances beyond my control.
I’ve learned that sometimes the most useful thing I can do is stop working on the problem and take care of the person who has to deal with it.
How do you manage stress?
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