by Kathy Mann
I am fascinated by stress. One of the favourite parts of my work is interviewing people about how they engage with stress. In writing my second book, Harnessing Stress, I found that many people have developed habits to prevent stress. Through experience and in knowing themselves well, they have created rules to ensure they keep their stress levels low.
Here are some of the highlights of what they shared….
Make use of Routine
Waking up at the same time every day, avoiding the snooze button and being strict about what time work ends were some of the ways people use routine to help them. These practices ensure that they miss traffic and make sure that their time is spent wisely - on their work during the day and on their families during the evening. Now that many people are working from home, this advice is even more meaningful in maintaining good boundaries between personal and work time.
Develop a Support Structure
As much as we like to think we can do it all, life is much richer when we are able to lean on others for support. Our minds are more at ease when we benefit from the support of a nanny, an au pair or a relative to help with babysitting, homework or school lifting. In the book, Fair Play, the author shows how valuable it is to have a system with our partner where we delegate household chores and childcare activities so that we don’t need to worry about them.
Support in the form of friendships is also of great value, especially as we have been isolated for several months due to the pandemic. Human beings are social entities, built to develop and maintain relationships with others. Entrepreneurship is lonely and it does us wonders to offload to a trusted friend.
Get Organised
Many people prevent stress by planning and using lists. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a paper list or a fancy piece of software that supports you – as long as it helps you to keep focussed. I have two lists – one for the long term and one for today. That way, I avoid becoming overwhelmed with the very long list of things to do. It has the additional benefit of getting to cross an item off two lists.
Prioritising is also important to ensure that we are applying our time and energy to the things that matter most. Some entrepreneurs outsource areas of their business that are not their strength so that they can devote the majority of their time at work to things they do best.
Systems to store files online can also be optimized so that we know where to find everything we need. Some people use file naming methods or folder structures to create order and to save time.
Diarise Rest
Many of the mothers I interviewed were proactive about scheduling time to rest. Some made rules with their families that they restricted outings to one day per weekend, leaving one day for rest. Others avoided any Friday night activities or blocked out two hours on a Sunday afternoon for a nap and quiet time.
It’s also important to make sure that holidays are restful. When we go overseas, my husband likes to cram in as much as possible to maximize the return on investment. I prefer to have a cheaper local holiday where I’m able to sleep in late, read my book and take in the atmosphere. Make sure to plan your holidays such that you return feeling rested and rejuvenated and ready to change the world.
I was inspired by the amazing people I interviewed, each with a unique way of making their lives smoother. The methods themselves don’t matter that much. What matters is that the systems can be easily implemented and maintained. I recommend finding ways to streamline your persona life and workspace so that you can prevent stress and spend your energy on what you love most.
Kathy Mann is an author and speaker with a special interest in stress management. She is passionate about guiding people towards their best lives possible in harnessing their strengths and innate talents. She offers a stress re-framing service, which shifts beliefs to be more constructive around stress. She does this by educating her clients about the variety of stress responses that exist and how we can benefit from them. Kathy's books Avoiding Burnout and Harnessing Stress are available at major retailers and online at Amazon. She is a wife and mother of two beautiful daughters and lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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