How to control your stress levels: some ingredients

2019 has proven a difficult year for me, as I feared right from the start. I've paid a lot of attention to my stress levels and my resilience to cope.  Going to bed on time for a starter and monitor my sleep levels closely. But I've been wondering a lot recently about causes of stress and ways to control stress.

Managing stress levels is not my personal challenge alone: I see people struggling all around me.  There are several colleagues with burn-outs at work. I have friends that need to leave sufficient empty space in their agenda to monitor their energy level after fighting burn-out and disease. A lot of bloggers are also sharing their struggles with burn-out, keeping all the balls in the air or monitoring red flags. Clearly, it's a topic that is hot and that I've been thinking of much more in the past year.

I strongly belief there are a couple of ingredients to add to your stress-control menu.  Pay attention: I write controlling stress, not being stress-free. The latter is probably an illusion and some stress levels can have a positive affect as it temporarily increases are adrenaline and cortisol levels and help us react quick and focus. But we have to ensure we are not under stress too much, too long.  We must ensure the cortisol levels in our body lower now and then.

So what are elements?


  1. Make choices (so sometimes say no) and accept that you can't do/wish everything in your life at the same moment.
  2. Embrace imperfectionism
  3. Be aware of the things that (re)energise you and ensure you free up time to do these activities (rather than others)
  4. Connect to people and have true honest conversations
  5. (edited: added later on) get outdoors and move


I'll try to elaborate on those 5 topics in the coming weeks with one post each. Not because I have the arrogance to claim I master it all perfectly. Those who know me best, know I am the queen of getting axiety attacks and that I'm still struggling to master those.  But I'm convinced that these ingredients help to fight stress.

Comments

Anne said…
Ik kijk alvast heel erg uit naar wat je te vertellen hebt!
EVi said…
Ik ben heel benieuwd naar de komende posts. Eind vorig jaar viel ik uit door een burn-out. En sindsdien ben ik inderdaad een van die mensen die goed moet opletten om niet opnieuw in die valkuilen van toen te stappen. Heel benieuwd dus naar wat je hierover te vertellen hebt!
Goofball said…
@Anne, @Evi: amai zoveel interesse blijkbaar. Zie wel dat het hot topic is voor iedereen. Nu heb ik wel stress om iets kwalitatief neer te schrijven hoor terwijl het gewoon mijn overpeinzingen zullen zijn :D.

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