Challenge 03 - Coping with Stress
"You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." Marcus Aurelius
To be stressed is to be human!
Stress is a natural response to stimuli. Most of us experience stress at some point in our lives, and the COVID-19 pandemic has increased my levels of stress and anxiety, and some of you may have experienced the same. We know that not all stress is bad, but long-term can lead to a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress known as burnout.
There is no one size fits all but research into positive psychology provides insights into some positive psychology interventions1 that can help with stress, such as noticing positive events, savouring, gratitude, mindful awareness, positive reappraisal, personal strengths, acts of kindness, and self-compassion.2
Another thing I have found useful during the last twelve months is to focus on the things we can change and to accept or ignore of the things we cannot change, based on the “Circle of Concern, Circle of Influence” model, which looks at where we spend our time and energy.3 From a personal perspective, it has been easy to absorb excessive negative news through either doom scrolling or radio news cycles lately, and I have found the concern, influence, and control model helpful in moderating some of this. Below is a simple example:
1. Concern – Be ‘news’ aware but don’t obsess about the COVID-19 numbers around the globe.
2. Influence – Don’t worry about other people's choices around vaccine take up or otherwise.
3. Control – Practice a positive mindset and activities that promote wellbeing and protection again COVID-19.
What activities help you deal with or think differently about stress? Click here survey
Reference
1. Positive psychology intervention. Cheung et al., 2018; J. Moskowitz et al., 2014; Verstaen et al., 2018
2. “Faced with uncertainty, it is common for people to seek positive solutions”. 2020. L.Waters, J.Dutton, R.Emmons, B. Fredrickson & E.Heaphy.
3. The Seven habits of highly effective people. Circle of Control and Influence. 1989. S. Covey
Further reading
Read: Seven habits of highly effective people. Circle of Control and Influence.1989. S.Covey
Watch: How to make stress your friend. Kelly McGonigal www.ted.com
Listen: Can we reframe how we think about stress www.npr.org
** Disclaimer – Part of the Fresh Start Effect / Build Your Ideal Day Program by Duncan Young. All content and media on the Build Your Ideal Day Website is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.
