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Stress is part of our everyday lives, and it can stem from many things, whether it’s the recent social restrictions, career path changes, personal life events, or something else. Developing strategies to cope with stress is crucial no matter the situation to ensure it doesn’t affect your work, team, family or health.

There are diverse ways you can work through these emotions, and two 青青草App leaders discuss different coping methods that have helped them during tough times. Christina Liu has a professional skill-based method to overcome stress, which can be applied to situations in and out of work.

By: Christina Liu, talent partner director

Having a stress response is our natural defense system for dealing with danger and the unknown. Short-term stress is usually quickly noticeable with physical reactions like elevated blood pressure, a tension headache, and lack of hunger, or there are mental reactions like mood swings, anxiety, anger, and so on. Becoming aware what happens in our body and mind is the first step for us to be able to take action to deal with it, so I like to take simple actions like deep breathing, taking a walk or meditating to relax quicker.  

Long-term stress relief is equally as important, though, as it can really have an impact on your work and professional life just as much as your personal one.

For me, I’ve found there are some strategies to help cope, which take more effort and self-discipline yet have positive and profound effects:

Set up goals and keep the big picture in mind

A goal can guide us through challenging and difficult situations whether it’s short- or long-term. Looking at the big picture can focus us in the right direction and prioritize something that could impact more people than just ourselves. Keeping your mind on the big picture gives us motivation to overcome the obstacles along the way.

Establish routine

Prioritize and plan realistically in order to balance work and life, establishing a rhythm. A routine can keep us focused on the important activities and move away from the stressors. While we spend most of our time doing work, we need to remember to take care of our body and mind with eating healthy food, doing physical activity and relaxation exercises, which can help us feel happier and less stressed. These are also things we can do no matter what space we physically find ourselves in – the office, at home, in the car, etc.

Be connected with friends and family

People who have a strong support system through family and friends are more likely to ward off the effects of stressful situations. Simply letting off a little steam to a friend or loved one early on can prevent the build-up of emotions that can lead to stress symptoms, while talking through situations and problems can help the mind solve problems.

Take this example: if we get on the wrong bus, the sooner we get off, the sooner we can go back to the right track. Stress management is like the bus trip. When we realize we are on the wrong path or experiencing stress, the sooner we take action to deal with it, the sooner we can get back to feeling our ‘normal’ selves.