A little bit of stress is good – it keeps us motivated and forward-thinking. Too much, and getting stuff done becomes next to impossible. When you hit that near breaking point, shift your energy and focus. Turn stress into productive energy. Here are 5 ways to do it.
Get organized
Write it all out so you can see everything written down in front of you. This is a huge part of getting focussed. Outline exactly what you want to accomplish, step by step, and create deadlines for yourself. Seeing the route you need to take narrows a big task down to specific sequence of small tasks. That way it's less overwhelming and more attainable. And crossing things off a list feels so awesome.
Reach inward, not outward
Simplify a project that feels unmanageable by making it yours. To quote Roosevelt, do what you can, with what you have, where you are. That's enough. In fact, it's all you can do. Eliminate the myriad, overwhelming possibilities, all the endless research you could do, all the places you could go for information, at least in the early stages of planning. When you hit a road block, that's when you go for help. Otherwise, it's ok to do it your way. Forcing something that doesn't come naturally is too hard.
Ditch worst case scenario thinking
Constantly thinking about the worst case scenario will make you feel pretty hopeless every step of the way. When you act, act as if you can't fail. Then each of the steps you take toward your goal will be exactly the way you want your end goal to be – confident and corageous.
Accept the things you can't change
Stress is inevitable. You can't change the world around you, you can only change the way you react to it. Reduce your stress reaction by understanding what is your issue and what are other peoples issues. Some things, you can change. Others, you just can't. Accepting things as they are takes a lot of pressure off you to do what is impossible.
Put yourself first
Taking care of yourself is the most important part of getting things done and doing them well. It's easy to fall into a cycle of sacrificing quality for quantity. Everything you do will suffer if you're not healthy – in mind and body. Don't let stress eat away at your sleep, your ability to enjoy a hangout with pals, or do absolutely nothing for a night. Take time for yourself. Balance is just as important in your working life as positive stress it.
