Most college students experience anxiety as a result of five types of college pressures: separation from family, freedom, competition, peer pressure, and choosing a career or major field of study. Leaders can add a sixth reason to that list! Coping with the stress of leading and working with others is an essential skill to successful management.
Is Stress Your Style?
Do you . . .
If you answered yes to ten or more of these questions, you may have a personality that is more prone to experiencing stress.
Practical Hints For
Coping With Stress
Look for causes. Who or what is at the bottom of the stress? Dealing directly with the person or issue may be the best approach.
Examine your relationships. What can you do to put more warmth, more communication and more mutual support into them?
Evaluate. Not every argument is worth trying to win. Defend values that are important, but learn to ignore lesser issues.
Seek advice. Confiding in a friend can uncoil the tightly wound spring of tension. Seek professional assistance when needed. You're worth it.
Do one thing at a time. The seconds pass in single file. Yet how quickly they become minutes and hours. You'll get more done with less "hassle" when you concentrate on each job as it comes and use a priority system.
Learn to pace yourself. You can't operate in high gear all the time. Take a break. Go for a walk. Look out the window. Do something else.
Create a quiet place. Take time to meditate. Recent studies of meditation techniques and yoga show that we can train ourselves to relax.
Analyze your stress occurrences. If you have experienced several stressful events in the past months, you should think twice before changing jobs, environments, activities or adding to your present stress levels.
Examine your sanity savers. Review these coping techniques you have utilized and found successful in the past. Find out what events please you and occasionally list the positive things in your life. Don't dwell on failures.
Avoid irrational goals/expectations. Remember not everyone must like you, you don't have to be perfect!! Personal expectations are best when within reasonable limits.
Learn to creatively utilize leisure activities. Some stress may require you to divert attention to tasks that require concentration. Other times require a brisk walk, swim, or other vigorous exercise. Exercise appears to reduce some people's stress levels when regularly practiced.
Turn off worry. When you face problems that have no immediate solutions try to ignore them by immersing yourself in work, hobbies, and other interests.
Not everything can be done perfectly. Some days it is best finish a task even though it is not perfectly in order to move on to other problems.
Establish some personal time daily. Allow yourself a daily relaxation activity and stick to it. It affords you some time to look forward to on a daily basis.