There’s such a lot of pressure in our daily lives these days and sometimes it can be difficult to keep a balance in stressful times. If these times build up then we become stressed and anxious or out of control.

With the stigma too, about us being strong enough, good enough, capable enough, there’s also a lot of pressure to ‘cope’ with this busy life. It can be hard going!

There’s also added pressure at times from people around us or social media. This too, leaves people feeling putting pressure on themselves to get through more work, to do more, to achieve.  It can feel difficult and overwhelming. So if you are feeling swamped by social media or the pressure of work, business or just life, then here are the things you can do to help you keep a balance in stressful times.

1.    Be Kind To Yourself.

You absolutely are doing your best – aren’t you? You don’t need to beat yourself up (there are plenty of other people who will do that for you)! If you’re not kind to yourself it will drag you down, have you feeling deflated or defeated. That releases negative chemicals and makes it so much harder to pick ourselves up and keep moving forward. So use kind words and treat yourself as you would a friend.

2.    Put a Line Through Your Diary

Yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds! When your brain is in overdrive and you’re struggling to keep a balance in the stressful times, the very best, quickest and easiest way to get yourself back to your best and back on track is to take time out. You give yourself time to recover, to relax the whirring of your brain and enable you to clear your energies so that you can refocus. 

3.    Find Supportive Group or Person

I have an accountability group of a couple of great colleagues in business who I can talk to, offload and ask for advice. You might have a manager, colleague or a coach who you can approach. Let them know you’re feeling overwhelmed or struggling. Ask for support or ideas or maybe just an ear so you can offload, safely and comfortably.

4.    What Prevents You Keeping a Balance in Stressful Times?

When you know what drains you and drags you down and saps your energies then you do something about it! You can create a balance in stressful times in your life by countering the time or energy you spend being drained, with the time you spend doing things that energise you and raise your feel good chemicals. You can even do more of the things that energise and less of the things that drain you. Prioritise, outsource or think about doing things differently.

5.    Know What Energises You.

I love quiet things and time out. I have a friend who needs to run. Exercise, laughing, walking in nature, take time out, have a bath. There’s lots of things – but it’s not just about doing that thing – it’s knowing HOW it makes you feel. Recognising that you can feel energised, or uplifted. If you can find something that’s easy to fit into your day and that doesn’t take long, means you can get this energising feeling repetitively over the course of the day or the week.

6.    Learn to Relax

Chances are you’re the type of person who stays on the go all the time or keeps going to try to achieve the things that are stressing you. However, the very best way to stop the overdrive in your brain is to relax. Even if you do relax, are you getting enough? Relaxation enables our mind and body to calm down. We can then move from our emotional brain to our intellectual brain, so we can think more clearly, feel more energised and motivated and get that stuff done!

Which of these can you begin to do today?

If you are struggling to keep a balance during stressful times then Email me or book a call using this link to talk about working with me on 1:1 basis or how I can help your workforce.

This article was previously published on LinkedIn