The Pace of Your Life Dictates Your Stress Level
There is only so much people can do to lower their stress levels when they are rushing all around. Maybe a Zen master or some other Saint could stay calm when they need to finish an email before leaving work, then pick up a kid from school, buy a present for a friend, buy dinner or even prepare it, and get everything wrapped up for the night. Then again, I don’t think even A Zen master could stay stress free in such a hectic scenario.
Your pace of life dictates how you handle stress; if you have 100 things piled on your “to do list†then you are bound to create expectations that can’t be met. I’ll give you two simple techniques you can develop to help you reduce your stress.
The ability to say “Noâ€
Appreciating your limits and understanding how to say no to things that stretch your stress level too far will go a long way to reducing your lengthy “to do†list to a manageable level. It’s difficult to say no to a child or a demanding boss, but there must be boundaries to your life. The people who do the best job of handling their stress don’t allow outside difficulties to make their choices for them. They are willing to say no to a child or boss asking for their time and be okay with that choice. Saying “no†is one of your most important tools to reducing your stress level. Anyone can say no, but a lot of people fret over their choice and it only makes them more upset.
Leo Babauta from Zen Habits wrote a guest post at Freelance Switch called 8 Essential Strategies to Saying “Noâ€.
My favorite out of the eight was number 5.
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Be polite, but firm. One mistake a lot of people make is being too nice, and too wishy-washy. They might say no but make it sound like they are wavering.
Learning to say no and feeling confident in this choice will take practice. You won’t be comfortable saying no at first, but the more you say no the better you’ll become at doing it wisely. You’ll probably make a few mistakes here and there, regretting that you said no to a great opportunity, but over time you’ll probably look back and appreciate your new skill. It will give you more time to do the things you truly love and reduce your stress level.
Slowing down your internal energy
As frustration increases, your ability to relax and enjoy a situation decreases. Many times I get worked up over something that should never have gotten me frustrated. Sometimes it’s a snide comment from a co-worker or the pressure of a deadline; whatever the aggravation may be, something needs to be done to sooth my nerves. I wrote a blog titled Learn to Relax in a Rushed Moment because I needed to create a map for how I could slow down my thoughts in a overwhelming situation.
When frustration kicks in you need to slow down your internal energy. You can do this by bringing your attention to the present moment. Take slow and deliberate breaths to calm your thoughts and anxiety.
Stay aware of how your body is reacting to a situation; don’t just plow through the work until you get to the end then deal with the emotional backlash. By staying aware of your thoughts and options you can learn to enjoy a relaxed push – getting what you need done and doing it in the time frame that is best for everyone. \
\I find it easy to slow down my internal energy, but maintaining it at a normal level is difficult. It usually wants to creep back up and raise my excitement. This can be a fun ride, but it’s really exhausting, so work on keeping your internal energy balanced. I don’t want you to emotionally crash out and not be able to enjoy spending time with your family or friends.
Your pace of life is dictated by you; if you like a fast paced lifestyle then learn to slow down every few hours to make sure your blood pressure stays low and you maintain a healthy heart. If you want to slow your life down, then learn to say no. You’ll reduce your high energy lifestyle to a manageable level that fits your needs.
