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? Informed by 10 years of Harvard research and field-tested by more than 6,000 clients and trainees. Melnick offers the following strategies for reducing stress down a peg, before it takes over your life.
Act versus React
According to Melnick, stress occurs when we believe we have no control over the circumstance. It releases the stress hormone and, if it continues, erodes one’s self-assurance, focus, and general wellbeing. She suggests that you separate the elements of the circumstance that you can control from the elements that you can’t. Normally, you have control over your reactions and actions but not over external factors like other people’s tone or macro forces. She says, “Be perfect for your 50%.” Try to let go of the rest as well.
Take A Long Breath
A few minutes of deep breathing will bring you back into balance if you’re feeling stressed out . You need to clear your thoughts after a heated meeting, according to Melnick. Simply inhale for five seconds, hold, and then exhale through the nose in equal numbers. She compares it to obtaining the quiet and concentration of a 90-minute yoga session at your desk in three minutes or less.
Cut Off Interruptions
Cut Off Interruptions
The majority of us experience daytime bombardment, claims Melnick.
Today’s workers are more distracted than ever because of emails, phone calls, pop-ups, instant messaging, and abrupt, pressing deadlines.
Even while you might not be able to control the interrupters, you can control your reaction. Melnick suggests that you may handle interruptions in one of three ways: accept them, ignore them, or assess their significance and devise a strategy. Numerous disruptions are frequent and predictable.
You should have predetermined standards for choosing your response, she advises. By responding to email within specific times, setting aside office hours for in-person conversations. Locking the door when you need to concentrate, you may also teach people around you.
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, Melnick says. She advises scheduling breaks throughout the day to walk, stretch at your desk or do a breathing exercise. “Tony Schwartz of the Energy Project has shown 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,” she says.
Eat Right And Sleep Well
Schedule Your Day For Energy And Focus
“Eating badly will stress your system,” says Melnick, who advises eating a low-sugar, high-protein diet. “And when you’re not sleeping well, you’re not getting the rejuvenating effects.” According to the CDC, an estimated 60 million Americans do not get sufficient sleep, which is a critical recovery period for the body. If racing thoughts keep you from falling asleep. You wake up in the night and can’t get back to sleep. Also, Melnick suggests a simple breathing trick that will knock you out fast: Cover your right nostril and breathe through your left for three to five minutes.
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, says Melnick. However, if you can step back and take a more objective view, you’ll be more effective and less likely to take things personally. She recalls one client who sent a request to human resources for more people on an important project. When she was denied, she immediately got angry and defensive, thinking they didn’t trust her to know what she needed. Yet she never stopped to even consider there might be budgetary issues on their end.
Once she was able to remove herself from the situation, she called the HR director and said: Tell me where you’re coming from, I’ll tell you where I’m coming from and then let’s see if we can find a solution. Ultimately, you will be reducing stress level by a lot.
Cool Off Immediately
According to Melnick, “when you’re upset or furious, it’s a warm emotion in your body that might make you respond.” She advises taking a “cooling breath” approach rather than responding instantly and probably overreacting: Take a sip through your straw-like mouth as you inhale, and then exhale normally through your nose. A chilling, drying feeling will be felt across the top of your tongue if it is done correctly. Like using the “pause” button, it gives you some time to consider your response. It’s so potent, she claims, that it will even calm the other person down.
Identify Self-Imposed Stress
“Learn to stop self imposing stress by building your own self-confidence rather than seeking others approval,” says Melnick. 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 and reducing stress.
Set Your Priorities in Order
It’s crucial to establish what is genuinely important and why in the face of conflicting deadlines and quickly shifting priorities. Clarity is necessary, according to Melnick. It’s critical to comprehend your position inside the corporation, the strategic priorities of the enterprise, as well as your own objectives and assets. Focus on the tasks that will have the most impact. And are most in line with your goals when you trim your to-do list.
Reset The Panic Button
For those who become panic-y and short of breath before a presentation. Melnick says you can quickly reduce your anxiety with the right acupressure point. Positioning your thumb on the side of your middle finger and applying pressure instantly helps regulate your blood pressure and helps you with reducing stress.
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