Being under a lot of stress, especially if we keep bottling it up for a long time, is bound to have a negative effect on the quality of our life. When we are stressed out, it’s impossible to think clearly, make the right decisions, or even interact with other people around us properly. Stress causes us to become anxious, tired, worried, and more prone to conflicts.
Stress is also known to be one of the main factors that prevent us from being productive, which can take a toll on your work performance. However, we mustn’t allow our negative emotions to be in control, so it’s essential to keep reminding ourselves that stress is nothing more than a self-imposed emotion that feeds on our energy.
It goes without saying that there are difficult situations in life that we encounter on a regular basis, but how we are going to deal with them is solely up to us.
So, the next time you are feeling stressed out and powerless, resort to some simple techniques that will allow you to put your stress to good use. Keep on reading, as these techniques are guaranteed to make your life much easier and stress-free.
1. Accept the things you can’t change
No matter how hard we try to control what happens in our daily lives, there will always be some things that we cannot change, and some problems that we cannot solve. However, if you keep holding on to these things, they will keep affecting your inner peace.
Therefore, you need to learn how to calmly accept what you don’t like. Worrying about these things will only cause you stress and anxiety, but won’t help you solve your problems. As William James put it: “Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune”.
The first step to acceptance is to let go of your past. Living in the past is a mental reminder of bad things that happened to us and the mistakes we made, and it prevents us from enjoying the moment and being calm. The next step is to lower your expectations – the more you expect, the bigger the chances to be disappointed.
So, the next time you are expecting someone to act in a certain way, try to accept their actions instead.
2. Share the burden
Many people are hesitant to ask others for help because they don’t want to overburden the people around them with their problems. While it’s nice to take care of other people’s wellbeing, sometimes it is necessary to ask for some assistance.
For instance, let’s say you have a deadline at work and too many tasks on your plate. When you realize that you simply cannot make it don’t just try to push yourself, as you’ll burn out and still risk failing.
If someone helps you, you will be much more productive and you will end up feeling accomplished and satisfied instead of stressed.
3. Face things head on and overcome
When they have something troubling them, a great number of people think that the easiest way is to just ignore it or postpone it as much as possible. However, if you keep ignoring something, it won’t go away – it will only end up causing you even greater problems than it would in the first place.
So, the best way to get rid of stress and become more productive rather than running away from what’s bothering you is to face your problems head-on. To do that, you first need to identify what the actual problem is. Once you have a clearer perspective, think about what can happen if you choose not to deal with that problem.
When you take such things into consideration, you will quickly realize that facing the problem will be much easier than dealing with all the additional problems it may cause if left unresolved.
This way of thinking will motivate you to take some action and be productive, instead of waiting for things to miraculously be solved on their own.
4. Use the excess energy to vent
We all know that if we keep the negative feelings inside for long a long time, we are bound to explode at some point. That’s why we need to involve ourselves in activities that will help us get rid of the stress. There are a variety of physical activities, such as playing sports, that are guaranteed to help us vent.
If, on the other hand, you are not good at sports, you can always start doing something creative. Keeping a diary, drawing, or painting are some of the best ways to turn your stress into something productive.
5. Keep long-term goals in mind
When we have a lot of responsibilities to take care of, especially at work, it’s easy to become demotivated and give in to stress. However, when you are feeling completely overwhelmed by the amount of work you need to complete, it’s best to think about what made you start doing something in the first place.
Focusing on the bigger picture and identifying your long-term goals instead of dwelling on how difficult something is will help you regain your motivation and become more productive. Just remember that by putting some effort into overcoming challenges, you will eventually be rewarded with successful outcomes.
The next time you are under a lot of stress, just try out some of the aforementioned techniques, and you will easily gain the power to turn your negative feelings into productivity.
