The 4 A's of stress management
Stress is defined as the emotional or physical tension the body creates when presented with events or thoughts that cause worry, frustration, anger or nervousness. We are well aware that too much stress can be bad for you, physically, mentally and emotionally. While stress may be inevitable in certain situations, high levels of it can put your entire well-being in danger.
It may seem impossible to break the pattern stress has on your life, but you are actually stronger than you think. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to managing your stress. Each person is different and has different tolerance levels, which is why it’s important to experiment and find out what works best for you.
So, while you’re here, have a look at the following stress management tips that may help you find out which works best for you. This is called the 4 A’S of stress management.
- Avoid
It may seem difficult, but avoiding things that may trigger your stress is a great way to start. An easy way to avoid stress is by planning ahead, rearranging your schedule and carrying a lighter workload per day. Additionally, the following approaches can also help; take control, avoid troublesome people, start saying ‘no’ when things get uncomfortable and prioritise your to-do list.
- Alter
If you’re unable to avoid the situation, try altering it. This can be done by asking others to change their behaviour, have open and honest conversations, manage your time better and state your limits in advance. This ‘A’ is completely up to you and how you go about making a change to stressful patterns in your life.
- Accept
When avoidance or alteration doesn’t help, you just have to accept the things you can’t change or control. Some sources of stress are unavoidable such as a death of a loved one, a serious illness or unemployment. In such cases, it’s best to try and cope with the stress by accepting things as they are. You know, it is what it is.
- Adapt
Adapting usually involves changing expectations. If you can’t change the stressful situation, change yourself. This can be achieved by adjusting your standard, stopping bad habits and/or looking at situations from different perspectives.
Stress is a part of life but using the 4 A’s of stress management can be a step in the right direction.
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