FEATURE STORY
> attention on . The point here is that you must have something positive that you ’ re ready to shift your attention to when your thoughts turn negative .
THEY DISCONNECT Given the importance of keeping stress intermittent , it ’ s easy to see how taking regular time off the grid can help keep your stress under control . When you make yourself available to your work 24 / 7 , you expose yourself to a constant barrage of stressors . Forcing yourself offline and even — gulp !— turning off your phone gives your body a break from a constant source of stress . Studies have shown that something as simple as an email break can lower stress levels .
Technology enables constant communication and the expectation that you should be available 24 / 7 . It is extremely difficult to enjoy a stress-free moment outside of work when an email that will change your train of thought and get you thinking ( read : stressing ) about work can drop onto your phone at any moment . If detaching yourself from work-related communication on weekday evenings is too big a challenge , then how about the weekend ? Choose blocks of time where you cut the cord and go offline . You ’ ll be amazed at how refreshing these breaks are and how they reduce stress by putting a mental recharge into your weekly schedule . If you ’ re worried about the negative repercussions of taking this step , first try doing it at times when you ’ re unlikely to be contacted — maybe Sunday morning . As you grow more comfortable with it , and as your coworkers begin to accept the time you spend offline , gradually expand the amount of time you spend away from technology .
THEY LIMIT THEIR CAFFEINE INTAKE Drinking caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline . Adrenaline is the source of the “ fight-or-flight ” response , a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat . The fight-or-flight mechanism sidesteps rational thinking in favor of a faster response . This is great when a bear is chasing you , but not so great when you ’ re responding to a curt email . When caffeine puts your brain and body into this hyperaroused state of stress , your emotions overrun your behavior . The stress that caffeine creates is far from intermittent , as its long half-life ensures that it takes its sweet time working its way out of your body .
“ YOU CAN ’ T CONTROL YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES , BUT YOU CAN CONTROL HOW YOU RESPOND TO THEM . SO BEFORE YOU SPEND TOO MUCH TIME DWELLING ON SOMETHING , TAKE A MINUTE TO PUT THE SITUATION IN PERSPECTIVE .“
THEY SLEEP I ’ ve beaten this one to death over the years and can ’ t say enough about the importance of sleep to increasing your emotional intelligence and managing your stress levels . When you sleep , your brain literally recharges , shuffling through the day ’ s memories and storing or discarding them ( which causes dreams ), so that you wake up alert and clear-headed . Your self-control , attention and memory are all reduced when you don ’ t get enough — or the right kind — of sleep . Sleep deprivation raises stress hormone levels on its own , even without a stressor present . Stressful projects often make you feel as if you have no time to sleep , but taking the time to get a decent night ’ s sleep is often the one thing keeping you from getting things under control .
THEY SQUASH NEGATIVE SELF-TALK A big step in managing stress involves stopping negative self-talk in its tracks . The more you ruminate on negative thoughts , the more power you give them . Most of our negative thoughts are just that — thoughts , not facts . When you find yourself believing the negative and pessimistic things your inner voice says , it ’ s time to stop and write them down . Literally stop what you ’ re doing and write down what you ’ re thinking . Once you ’ ve taken a moment to slow down the negative momentum of your thoughts , you will be more rational and clearheaded in evaluating their veracity .
You can bet that your statements aren ’ t true any time you use words like “ never ,” “ worst ,” “ ever ,” etc . If your statements still look like facts once they ’ re on paper , take them to a friend or colleague you trust and see if he or she agrees with you . Then the truth will surely come out . When it feels like something always or never happens , this is just your brain ’ s natural threat tendency inflating the perceived frequency or severity of an event . Identifying and labeling your thoughts as thoughts by separating them from the facts will help you escape the cycle of negativity and move toward a positive new outlook .
THEY REFRAME THEIR PERSPECTIVE Stress and worry are fueled by our own skewed perception of events . It ’ s easy to think that unrealistic deadlines , unforgiving bosses and out-of-control traffic are the reasons we ’ re so stressed all the time . You can ’ t control your circumstances , but you can control how you respond to them . So before you spend too much time dwelling on something , take a minute to put the situation in perspective . If you aren ’ t sure when you need to do this , try looking for clues that your anxiety may not be proportional to the stressor . If you ’ re thinking in broad , sweeping statements such as “ Everything is going wrong ” or “ Nothing will work out ,” then
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