Here is another in our series of posts outlining stress management tips; for everyday living and for team leaders who struggle to cope with stress in a fast-paced workplace.

Now that we’ve clued you in on our tips for tolerating stress, it’s time to talk about managing stress; the

steps you can take to avoid letting stressful situations get the best of you.

When a particularly challenging situation pops up in your life, usually leading to high stress, there are three things you can do about it:

• Accept it
• Try to change it
• Leave it

For most of us, leaving is not usually an option and, while acceptance is a good first step it is only a step. Learning to manage stress then becomes crucial to your peace of mind, health, and effectiveness.

The best thing to do here is to take a step back and look at the cause of your stress objectively. In other words, examine your situation without your personal beliefs, perceptions, and emotions attached. Break the situation down into smaller, more manageable parts, and create a plan to deal with each part individually.

Ask yourself this question: “Is getting upset going to reduce my stress level, or increase it?”

Flexibility and Stress Management

Of course, becoming upset over a situation you cannot change will do nothing to help reduce the stress, so… It’s time to try and change it. Here, being flexible is your key to managing stress.

Flexibility is not impulsiveness or acting without proper consideration. Nor is it being submissive and caving-in under pressure. Flexible leaders do not change their minds or beliefs and values because they are giving in, they adapt because they consider different possibilities and take advantage of new information.

Those who embrace flexibility in their lives discover an increased capacity to adapt and let go of their familiar but ineffective strategies. They are also able to see the whole picture clearly and have more energy to achieve results.

Keys to Developing Flexibility

Like all skills, flexibility is a set of learned behaviors and attitudes. Through diligence and practice, you can become far more flexible in your response to stressful situations – making you a much better leader, and person.

• Embrace change
• Embrace a growth and growth implementation mindset
• Challenge yourself to develop in new and/or uncomfortable areas
• Ask for help
• Train yourself to reinterpret unfamiliar situations
• Unlearn long-standing and counterproductive behaviors

Acceptance and flexibility are just two of the key elements for managing stress. Stay tuned for future posts to discover more stress management tips.

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