Let’s face it: we’re aLL stressed.
In fact, a 2017 Gallup poll found that 8 out of
10 Americans are afflicted by stress. The top three
stressors for Americans today are the uncertainty
of the nation’s future, money and work, according
to the American Psychology Association, with
workplace stress accounting for nearly $200 billion
in health-care costs, as reported by Forbes.
“Stress is a direct result of negative emotions
that are out of control,” says stress consultant and
life coach Elaine Sanders. “It doesn’t matter what
triggers those emotions—whether it be pressure
from a superior, a difficult colleague or time pres-
sure.” Sanders lists factors such as a low level of
resilience and a lack of emotional regulation as
possible contributors to stress.
“Stress is a physical, mental or emotional re-
sponse to change,” says Kathleen Hall, founder and
CEO of the Mindful Living Network and the Stress
Institute, which help promote stress management.
But there’s a difference between acute stress and
chronic stress. Hall says that while dealing with
some acute stress is normal—think of being called
to the principal’s office or getting into a fender
bender—chronic stress, which is a day-after-day,
week-after-week, month-after-month phenome-
non, is not something we as humans are equipped
to handle. And although it’s inevitable, there are
healthy ways of dealing with it in the workplace
and in your daily life.FOCUS ON INTENTION
when you direct your emotions about up-
coming goals or obligations toward positive feel-
ings instead of focusing on the negative, it can
change your attitude, according to Sanders. “Start
your day with intention—start every new task with
intention, start every interaction with intention,”
she says. “Don’t let a negative emotion run off with
you blindly.”
Homing in on your intention—whether for
a meeting or for any task you are setting out to
accomplish—requires some discipline and imagina-
tion. Sanders suggests envisioning how you would
go about accomplishing the task at hand and focus-Taking time out for
a simple activity
like listening to
music can help
reduce your stress.SIMPLE
WAYS TO
MANAGE
YOUR MOOD
A few key changes to your
daily routine can help defuse
the chaos of work and life