Be compassionate with yourself. Stressful situations elicit different types of reactions from us which can range from anger to disappointment. If you are a perfectionist, you can be too hard on yourself which increases your stress levels. Understanding that you are not perfect and sometimes you will make mistakes or fail will help you be more realistic such that when a stressful situation arises, you are able to deal with it effectively and move forward.

Understand the root of your emotions. Emotions can point to bigger underlying issues. For instance, if you are afraid of financial strain in the future, think of current and available steps you can take now to move away from the negative emotions and fear.

Change your interpretation. Before going along with what your emotions are telling you, consider whether they portray the true picture. If not, replace these emotions with positive thoughts. Unlike what we are made to believe, we have control of our own thoughts and reactions towards setbacks. Your attitude alone can determine how fast you recover.

Speak up for yourself. If the source of the stressful situation is a person, communicate with them politely but firmly. Let them know how they make you feel and how you would prefer that they treat you.

Cut back on the activities that cause you to be stressed. Consider working less if you feel too stressed every time you think of pending activities. Once in a while we all feel stressed but if you feel stressed every day and you are constantly in a state of anxiety, it could be time to restructure your work schedule.

Being constantly on the move and not taking breaks

One way we sometimes deal with stress is to keep busy all the time and not allow ourselves to pause, rest or reassess our circumstances. We ignore the problem using work as an excuse to avoid dealing with a stressful event. The continuous build-up of stressful thoughts can cause us to break down at some point.

What to do

Create time-breaks. Dedicate specific points in your schedule to take a break and think through different decisions and resultant outcomes. Assess what you did wrong and come up with ways to improve next time. Even though the situation may appear irreparable, viewing it from a different perspective may reveal solutions you may not have considered before.

Relax. Take time to relax and calm your mind. This could be in the form of different relaxing activities or something as simple as extending your sleeping time. Relaxing boosts productivity in the end and allows the body to recover from stressful occurrences.

Avoid stressful triggers. When you compare yourself to others and you feel the need to continuously work and keep going to get to where they are, you increase your stress levels. Avoid comparing yourself to others and try to stay away from platforms that place pressure on you to keep up with others. Other triggers like unhealthy relationships or friendships should also be avoided in order to enhance healthy thought patterns and ultimately reduce stress levels.