Bust the Stress (Part 2)

STRESS MANAGEMENT TIP: 2

As a student of counselling psychology, our teacher used to continually remind us, that ours is a 'helping profession', and that our work becomes worthwhile if we can help bring even a small positive change in a person's life. Writing this blog-series about stress management is very important to me for this very reason. Everyone faces stress in their lives at some point. And through this blog-series, I hope to help at least one person in dealing with their stress.

In my last blog, I wrote about the first stress management tip: Keeping in mind that stress isn't always a bad thing.' Continuing with the series, today, I will write about the second tip. 

Stress Management Tip 2 is 'Time Management'.
Benjamin Franklin rightly said "Lost Time is never found again".

 One of the most common concerns and complaints of people today is that they do not have enough time to do what they need/want to do. Be it a housewife/house-husband, working professionals or students; everyone suffers from stress brought on by trying to meet deadlines and keeping up with responsibilities. Balancing all these roles may take a toll on us- some more than others. Thus, Time Management has become very crucial today.

In simple words, time management is the ability to use one's time effectively and productively. Time management helps us find the time for all the things that we need and want to do. It basically helps us in striking a perfect balance between things that we need to do NOW, and things that can wait. Learning effective time management can be a challenge at first. However, once you get a hang of it, you will start feeling more in control of your life, thus, drastically reducing the symptoms of stress. 

How can you effectively manage time? The following are a few tips that might help you in kick-starting your time-management exercise:

1. Take a pledge that you will practice time management, effective immediately. Time management requires dedication. Unless you make a commitment to yourself and take responsibility for your own happiness, who will?

2. Prioritize your responsibilities. Know what is most important to you and do it first.

3. Another tip is to focus on completing smaller tasks first. Having too many 'to-dos' on the list could be overwhelming. Hence, clearing off smaller tasks quickly can clear up your mind and help you to focus on larger responsibilities. 

4. Do not procrastinate. Do not put off doing tasks until the last minute, however unpleasant or boring they might be. This will only increase your stress. One tip to avoid procrastination is to break up bigger tasks into smaller parts and create short-term deadlines. That way, when long-term deadlines arrive your way, you won't have as much pressure.

5. Structure your time. Use a day-planner to schedule your week or month. Writing down your tasks itself helps give tasks a concrete form and make them unambiguous. The most important part is to STICK TO THE PLAN. 

6. Focus on your basic needs. Stress can create a vicious cycle where you neglect your basic needs, leading to more and more stress. Make a point to concentrate on your basic needs. Eat well. Maintain a healthy sleep cycle and exercise regularly. 

7. Download stress-relief applications. There are many apps today that help minimize stress greatly, while increasing productivity.

8. Go offline. Time spent browsing the internet, gaming or watching TV and movies are the biggest drains on productivity. Getting off the grid will have the much needed effect of causing you to focus on what is important. Simply becoming aware of the hours spent online will motivate you to limit your screen time.

9. Set time aside for yourself. This is probably most important tip to keep in mind. Personal time often gets pushed down to the bottom of the to-do list. When personal time gets neglected, other things tend to suffer too. We get so busy checking off boxes in our to-do list that we forget to enjoy ourselves. Set aside time everyday to do things that you enjoy.

These are only a few tips that I thought are useful. But remember that everyone is different. Finding the perfect stress-management hack for you will give maximum results. What steps do you take to manage your stress? Do share your tips. They may do someone else good.

To conclude, I would like to share a statement by H. Jackson Brown Jr. that I recently read- "Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein".