How to Bounce Back from Stress
By Sandy Schroeder
Do you know how to bounce back from stress? When the plumbing goes down, deadlines stack up and your kids start to sneeze, stress levels shoot up. Headaches and irritability often follow, as you mutter, "Enough!"
But when you get right down to it you know there will be more stress to come, and you really need to find the resilience to bounce back.
Stress comes in many physical and psychological forms, according to Harvard Health researchers. Some events are even exciting when you build a house, get engaged or have a baby, but many stress-makers are tiring, demanding and unavoidable. What to do? Work on ways to be less fragile.
Author Nassim Nichols Taleb said we need to become "antifragile" which keeps us calmer, happier and stronger. So how do we do that? Taleb suggests we can copy the Navy Seals' characteristics.
Learn to be innovative - Turn lemons into lemonade and always look for ways to turn bad situations into good. Don't just accept the impact. Look for ways to modify, reduce, or change situations to make them tolerable.
Give up dogmatic thinking - Don't just accept rules. Take a closer look and see if there are some areas that will benefit you more.
Become more tenacious - We all know someone who never gives up. He or she always finds a way to move ahead, solve problems or come out ahead. Figure out how they do it.
Be honest and upbeat - Optimism and honesty really can payoff as people respond to your positive attitudes and learn to trust you. They may be much more likely to give you a helping hand to resolve your stress.
Stay flexible - We all know someone who never bends, often creating stress for everyone. Watch others and see how they manage to move with the moment and work around difficult situations.
Learn to read people - Watch what people say and then do. Do some research on facial expressions, voice tones and body language. Then look for it in your next meeting or conversation with someone. A lot of stress can be reduced if you know the right thing to say or do to facilitate situations instead of complicating them.
Know your weaknesses - Some people have a low tolerance for noise. Others hate clutter or behave badly when they lose sleep. Be aware of what bothers you so you can be at your best to handle stress and keep right on going.
Whatever steps you take to build resilience to stress will pay off with more productive days and a healthier happier you.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Lexington, S.C.