Reducing Stress by Managing Your Negativity
By Craig Price
We all get stressed. If you're not stressed a little, you're not
trying. Stress, like negativity, is part of our daily lives. How we
cope with it defines what our life ultimately will look like. Are you
constantly frazzled or are you understanding the causes and adjusting
accordingly?
Here are a few ways negative thinking will help you:
Learn how to say "no" - Know what you can do and
know what you can't do. Don't let others add to your stress by piling
on tasks. Especially if they're taking time and resources away from
more important ones.
Don't over-commit yourself - Try not to cram too many things
in a short time span. Things almost always take longer than we would
like them to. So overestimate the amount of time a task should take
for two reasons:
1. You want plenty of time in case something goes wrong.
2. You'll get a great feeling of accomplishment when you finish
things earlier than expected.
Cut down the amount of tasks - Take an honest look at what
you've got to do. Basically, what "must" get done versus
what "should" be done. You can only do what you can do and
you "should" only do what you "must" do.
Prioritize and eliminate.
Take time to think things through - The whole concept of
negative thinking deals with planning and prevention. If you can think
ahead, see problems before they happen or prepare for the ones you
can't avoid, you aren't grasping for answers when things get tough.
You'll already be prepared.
Delegate - Don't be afraid to ask for help. You can't be all
things to all people. You don't need to do everything if you have
others who can give you an assist. If you can responsibly dole out
some (not all your tasks!) of your tasks to others, they not only take
some of the load off you, but some of the stress as well.
And finally...
Lower your expectations - Trying to hit a home run every
time out will cause more strikeouts that hits. Take a good honest
swing at it, though. You can't be perfect every time. And many tasks
do not even require perfection. They require completion. So try not to
stress out over the lack of a masterpiece.
Stress sucks. There. I said it. But now you have some tools to
manage it. I hope. Possibly. Now I'm stressed I haven't done enough
for your stress.
©Craig Price 2009
For more information on professional speaker Craig
Price's negativity based keynotes
and training call
877-572-7890 today or email craig@speakercraigprice.com
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