Nowadays, our lives are full of deadlines and frustrations, with all the complaints and demands, leading us to stress. Coming out of the comfort zone and working under pressure becomes a way of living. We all respond to stress differently. Excess burden can damage our health, mood and relationships. If you ever feel that stress is taking control of your life, it’s time to take action. Stress, if short lived, is healthy, but if you are experiencing it for a prolonged time, then its time to turn that stressful situation into a positive one.
Have you ever thought that stress can actually be good for you? If you are not aware of this, then give a second thought. Sometimes, stress can actually help you perform more efficiently and improves your memory. Good stress is a type of emotional challenge.You can experiment it anywhere, anytime. Give yourself a deadline, where you have to perform at your best. Stressful experiences can make you stronger.
In fact, good stress is good for the health. Recently, a study suggested that stress could help prevent breast cancer because it suppresses the production of estrogen.
Let’s find out the ways that help transform negative stress into positive ones.
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Understand the difference between stress and anxiety – The first important thing to understand is the thin line which is very confusing and actually quite different. Stress is a physical reaction to situations, which is natural, while anxiety is mental or cognitive reaction, which can be damaging.
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Stop thinking and start working – Fast heartbeat, sweating and confusion, all these signals tell you that a part of your brain is going to shut down temporarily. The interesting thing about this is that your fast heartbeat sends a signal to your brain’s prefrontal cortex, a part that handles thought processes and decision making. Don’t let it take control of you. Try to transform it into positive energy and motivation.
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Get more organized – It’s very easy to get stressed, that leads to confusion and makes it difficult for you to understand what’s important to work on next. Organizing the things by settling down a daily or weekly planner can help you see specific details of what you have to do immediately and what can wait. Manage your time better and alter the situation.
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Set your priorities – Multitasking is not always possible. Setting the priorities is very important. By organizing the things first, it helps to give you a clear understanding. You can do it by preparing a to-do list in order of importance. And then carry on from top to bottom. At the end, if you can’t get everything done, at least you will feel less stressed by because you have dealt with the most important ones at the start.
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Be more focused – Prioritizing is a struggle in itself, but it helps in dividing the tasks into sub-tasks that help focus on everything instead of stretching one task for the whole day. You will feel a sense of accomplishment by completing a task with full focus and that will lighten your stress levels. Working on one project and keeping an eye on your to-do list helps you in stressing out.
Do what brings out the best in you, not stress in you.
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