3 Steps For Working Through Stressful Situations

Picture by Pedro Figueras

The trigger points for stress for each and every single person varies, and there is no scale to determine what you should and shouldn't be stressed about as we are all entitled to have our own feelings about particular scenarios. However, objectively by looking, analyzing and understanding why we are stressed, we can hopefully move out of an uncomfortable, frustrating or perhaps painful spot into a better one. This takes some self-reflection and analysis initially and some input and action to follow. To move on from a stress-inducing scenario to a positive one, here’s what you can do;

Write it down

Sometimes a whirlwind of stressful thoughts occupy your mind and impact your body, and it’s not always easy to pinpoint it to one particular problem. Writing your thoughts down will enable you to make sense of your thoughts and feelings to identify your feelings of stress and what they might be linked to. You may choose to brainstorm or jot down a list of emotions and causes to help you better understand why you are stressed. With your exact thoughts written down, you may be closer to understanding why your stress levels are so high.

Pinpointing The Problem

Take a look at what you’ve written down to pinpont the problem. For instance, it could be because your allergies are making you feel miserable and so you don’t feel like you want to go out with your friends. You may feel annoyed because none of the generic remedies and medication available are easing your symptoms, it’s affecting your work because you can’t focus past the sniffly nose and the itchy eyes, it’s making it difficult to parent, and you may become more snappy because you feel incredibly irritable, itchy and frustrated. The original problem here being your allergies, and how it’s affecting all areas of your life causing you constant stress that will only gain momentum as the allergies continue and your willingness to cope fades.

Solution

Establishing the route of why you are stressed gives you a cause to work towards solving, opposed to regurgitating all of the reasons why you feel miserable and visualizing the stress won't end. Now it’s time to investigate your options available to you to move past and beyond this stressful period. With the example used for those with allergies, your solutions may look like this;

• Visiting the doctor for a checkup to stress the effects allergies are having on your life
• Sourcing alternative natural remedies to ease the symptoms
• To explain to your partner and family that you are not feeling yourself because of the allergies so that this might encourage their support
• To search for ‘allergist near me’ online. An allergist will conduct scientific tests and inform you precisely what your allergy is to provide an adequate solution

Using the three steps above will help in a variety of scenarios to help move you up and beyond a stressful situation and out with a solution that can help you. Whether your problem is concerning conflict, illness, exams, money or an upcoming interview, use the above to rationalize and source a solution to end stress haunting your life and impacting your well-being.