Lifehacker has posted an excellent post called Nine Strategies Successful People Use to Overcome Stress. This post recommends a series of strategies that we also highlight as evidence-based approaches for self-care (so we like them!). The Nine Strategies they cite are:
1. Have Self Compassion – In other words, don’t beat yourself up! Some things are hard, there’s no benefit to beating yourself up if you don’t hit the mark. The most successful people cut themselves some slack, and are able to re-focus and continue to work towards their goals. (Though we’ll also point out there is a lot on the positive side of the ledger about having self compassion that’s not simply lack of self-attack…see our other blog posts on self-care)
2. Remember the Big Picture – Keeping your eye on your long-term goals can help you to get through some of those tougher short-term responsibilities.
3. Rely on Routines – Humans like routine. They like it a LOT! Why? It uses less energy, because you have to think less! That helps to reduce stress, and gives you more energy when you need it.
4. Take 5 Minutes to do Something You’re Interested In – I really like this one, and yet it is very hard for people. It feels like you’re “slacking” if you take a break, especially one to do something else that you like. The truth is that it is not only energizing, but helps you to get through the more difficult tasks, and helps your work be more efficient.
5. Add Where and When to Your To-Do List – First, this requires one to use a to-do list (which is a great recommendation unto itself). Second, by adding where’s and when’s, you can help to organize the list and help check things off, rather than just adding to it and feeling overwhelmed. Scheduled items tend to get done more often (e.g. “make sure I meditate 3 days a week” becomes “make sure I meditate Mon, Wed and Fri mornings right after I get up”)
6. Use If-Thens for Positive Self Talk – I was skeptical of this one at first, but it made more sense to me when I read the descriptions. This is about using self-talk to help guide your emotional response to a stimulus. In other words, telling yourself how you want to react to something that may be stressful. Again, try to be specific: 1st try: “If my boss yells at me, I will stay calm.” 2nd try: “If my boss yells at me, I will step away from the room when possible, sit quietly for a minute in my office, and do my deep breathing”. Its a surprisingly effective strategy.
7. See your Work in Terms of Progress, Not Perfection – Excellent! Works in progress are flexible and can go in different ways. Perfection is very rigid and often unattainable. Flexibility is much less stressful than struggling for a specific, and possibly unattainable goal.
8. Think about the Progress You’ve Already Made – When you’re climbing a mountain, and the summit seems forever away, it’s can feel like you’ve made no progress. That’s the time to look down and remind yourself of how far you have climbed. Small victories tend to add up, and it is very easy to lose perspective on your overall trajectory in the moment.
9. Know Whether Optimism or Defensive Pessimism Works for You – Some people are drawn to optimism. Some aren’t. If your main motivator is keeping danger away, then work with that! If your main motivator is the prize at the end, work with that! You’ve got to do what feels right for you. (On the other hand, if you lean towards pessimism, and that adds to your stress because then everything feels like it’s bound to fail, then you may want to fight your natural inclination. Being mindful of the effect your self-talk has on you is key!)