• Make a list of typical external factors that cause you stress.
• Prioritize them in terms of worst to least impact on you.
• How many of the most impactful ones can you change?
• What internal, personal factors contribute to your stress?
  • Being generally anxious.
  • A worrying type.
  • Trying to do too much, not saying ''no'' often enough.
  • Not prioritizing, trying to do everything at the last minute.
  • Sensitivity to criticism - being too quick to react to flack.
  • Excessively high standards, perfectionistic, never feeling I'm good enough.
  • Too many personal concerns, hence low tolerance for anything extra.
  • Never taking time to relax, unwind or get exercise, eating, drinking too much.
• The first point here is that stress is never caused JUST by external factors.
• The second point is that we cannot often control external events but we can work on how we react to them. A first step is to convince yourself that no person or external event can MAKE you feel anything if you refuse to let it.

Stress Management Tips

• Here are three steps for dealing with stress more effectively:
  • Address whatever external factors you can influence - change jobs if necessary.
  • Become better fit to cope with stress - physical fitness supports mental fitness.
  • Change how your react to things - laugh more, distance yourself from them, convince yourself that it's not a matter of life and death, be less serious, lighten up, ensure that you have a good work-life balance, when you see negatives in a situation, discipline yourself to note as many positives as you can.
• Convince yourself and your boss that you can add more value by actually doing less - by switching from mere hard work to working smarter.
• Learn to delegate more and say ''no'' more often. Become more assertive.
• Improve your time management.

All pages written by Mitch McCrimmon, Ph.D. and copyright © Self Renewal Group 1996-2008