Unfortunately, stress is a daily part of life. We often wake up in the middle of the night thinking about our responsibilities for the next day, spend far too much time worrying about things we can’t control, and ultimately feel overwhelmed with distractions. However, letting stress and a constant sense of anxiety dominate your life can lead down a very dangerous path. The mental and physical toll that stress can take is simply far too damaging to ignore. But, it doesn’t have to be this way. Despite living in such a fast-paced and competitive world, there are strategies to manage stress and take back control of your life. As Hans Selye once said, “it’s not stress that kills us, it’s our reaction to it.”
Stress is a biological response to the situations we encounter on a daily basis. While the science behind stress hormones is a bit more complex, these hormones are essentially the “same ones that trigger your body’s fight or flight response.” When we are placed into stressful situations, these hormones can actually help us perform better and navigate dangerous circumstances. However, a feeling of chronic stress can actually have the opposite effect. It can lead to irritability, anxiety, depression, and a list of other issues. According to one study, neuroscientists “found that even mild levels of stress can impair our ability to control our emotions.” Countless researchers in other fields have discovered that stress can also affect your love life, increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, and weaken your immune system.
From an 
organizational perspective, there is one particular study on stress that stands out. Traditionally, it was believed that executives who were dying of heart-attacks at a young age were doing so because of “executive stress syndrome.” The pace of their corporate lives and the massive amount of responsibility placed on them was simply too much for them. However, a team of scientists in Britain set out to discover if this conclusion were actually true. Their findings were groundbreaking. It isn’t the degree of responsibility or rank in the hierarchy someone has that causes stress, it’s the amount of control they have over their daily lives. These executives weren’t dying because of the demands of their job, they were dying from the lack of control they felt.
It is no secret that the modern business environment is stressful. New technology has given entrepreneurs the ability to start companies seemingly overnight, consumer behavioral patterns are constantly changing, and stakeholders demand steady profits. Not to mention there is always a watchful eye over your company’s brand image and level of corporate-social responsibility. In order to manage this stress and successfully navigate today’s competitive climate, you must take back control of your life.
One of the best ways to begin taking back control of your life and manage stress is to establish priorities. When approaching each day, there must be a clear hierarchy of importance. Before taking on a task, it is important to ask yourself. Is this the most important project on my to-do list? If you are engaging in tasks that may actually be distracting or irrelevant at the moment, you could create a “snowball effect.” As you spend more time working on the wrong project, you’ll begin to subconsciously worry about the other project and eventually become so stressed you may not be able to focus on either task. Creating a well-thought out to-do list makes establishing priorities easier. Many successful professionals agree there is no substitute for the value of a hand-written daily list. Research has even shown that when we create a hand-written to-do list, accomplish a task on that list, and physically cross it off we actually get a dopamine boost. It simply feels good to set a genuine priority and see that it is done. Humans are visual creatures and when we can see a clear priority being accomplished, we feel in control.
The ability to effectively communicate will always be a valuable skill in the modern business world. But, did you know that it can actually help you manage stress? It is no secret that everyone values honesty and transparency. When conducting business or interacting with colleagues, it is important to remember to be an “open-book.” When we are children, we are told that telling the truth makes life easier. If you tell the truth all of the time, you don’t have to remember any of the lies you’ve told. While the business world presents much more challenging situations than those we faced as children, this is an important lesson. Communication begins with total honesty. If you are forthright about your intentions and any number of the elements necessary to run a successful business, there is never any question about your integrity or the value you provide. While making sure that all communication is open and honest helps build relationships with customers, it can also help you feel in control. Business meetings are smoother because objectives are clear, establishing priorities becomes easier, and confidence grows in the direction of the company.
Managing stress and taking back control of your life can also be accomplished through more than your daily actions at work. It is important to take time out of each day for self-care. While there isn’t a universal definition for self-care, it is all about finding moments throughout the day to relax. Regardless of your position on the hierarchy, taking the time to engage in activities that are intrinsically rewarding is absolutely necessary to mitigate stress.
Stress is something that is a part of our daily lives and a natural response to the situations we encounter on a daily basis. However, it doesn’t mean that these natural emotions should be a negative part of our life. While feelings of stress or anxiety stem from a variety of factors and there are countless ways to attempt to manage them, relief can be found by finding a sense of control. For professionals looking to manage stress and advance their career skills, establishing priorities, practicing open communication, and taking the time for self-care are just a few of the options available.
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