Churned up by your never-ending to-do list? Here’s how to break free from your crazy life.
Are you (a) Surgically attached to your to-do list? (b) unable to turn off your mobile? (c) Likely to just skim this article?
If you answered yes to any or all of these, you may well be a ‘stressette’ – a growing breed of high-achieving young woman. She’s the type who sees her whole life in terms of success or failure, and drives herself crazy with stress, pressure and busyness. While a bit of stress can help you perform well, too much can lead to low-level depression and physical problems, from fatigue and back pain to a weaker immune system.
So here’s how to lower your stress levels, before they turn toxic…
Live one hour at a time
“Many women feel they’re being more productive when they do several things at once,” says psychologist Dr Dale Atkins, author of Sanity Savers. In fact, research shows a task can take four times as long if you’re juggling several things at once.
Multitasking also hampers creative thinking. “Creativity comes in bursts. If you don’t have any downtime, you can’t be expected to wow you boss with great new ideas,” explains Dale.
How to calm the chaos:
• Identify the most important job and clear away anything that relates to other tasks – that way, your mind will be clearer too. If you have to juggle lots at once, try breaking up your day – either into morning and afternoon, or into two-hour chunks – and concentrate on one thing at a time.
• Ask your boss to help your prioritise by saying, “I can have this done by 5pm, but it means I won’t have that report done by tomorrow. Which do you prefer I focus on?”
Banish Bad Stress
Good stress – which makes you stronger – comes from working on tough projects you believe in. So agreeing to help your boss work out a restructure for the team might put an extra strain on your time, but the results will be well worth it. “If you feel what you’re doing has little meaning for your personally, then that’s the kind of stress that takes a toll,” says Professor Susan Nolen-Hoekseme, author of Women Who Think Too Much.
How to avoid the worst types of stress:
• Use five minutes every morning to take stock, suggests Susan. Are the things you have to do today valuable to you? Are they helping to further your ambitions?
• Ask yourself, “If I could start my job again, which things would I continue to do and which would I never do again?’
Watch your words
Avoid negative language when talking about stress. Ban thoughts like, ‘I know I’m never going to get this done.’ These will only reinforce the panic inside you.
Psychiatrist Dr Jeffrey Brantley, a stress-reduction expert, believes we’re far more self-critical than self-encouraging as a culture. Many of us are prone to an inner voice that says, ‘You’ll never get this right’, or ‘You’re a failure.’
How to get that ‘voice’ on your side:
• Notice the times you put yourself down and instead say to yourself, “I’m not bad or a failure. Calling myself that is simply an old habit that I can break.”
• Talk to yourself as you would to a friend who needs encouragement. Develop the skill of comforting and soothing yourself.
6 Instant Stress Busters
1. Laugh. Log on to youtube and check out the sneezing panda. Or whatever else works for you.
2. Have a good cry. It’s nature’s de-stresser.
3. Sniff lavender oil. It has super-soothing qualities.
4. Eat complex carbs (eg, pasta, brown ride). They enhance serotonin, your body’s natural tranquilliser.
5. Listen to a favourite son for an instant feel-good hit.
6. Don’t be afraid to say no to something you really don’t want to do.
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