Stress is a common occurrence in everyday life. In fact, we all need a certain amount of stress for optimal personal growth. This necessary amount of stress is often labelled “positive stress”. Eliminating stress entirely is not conducive for personal growth. Instead, active management of all that stress is much more recommended. Here are 4 steps that will hopefully aid you in your stress management.

1. Assess the situation.
Whenever you’re starting to feel bogged down, stop right there. Don’t gloss over your problems. Instead, reevaluate the situation you’re in. What’s causing all that stress? Point out the positive side of that situation (there usually is a positive), and inject some humor into it. Then recognize what you can and cannot change. Change what you can, and remember that while you cannot change it, you can change how you perceive it.

2. Partition your life.
Truth is, personal and professional lives do not mix. So try not to bring your stress from work back home, or vice versa. Instead, do things that you enjoy that is unrelated to your stressors. Sing a song, play your guitar, engage in sports activities with your buddies, enjoy the company of friends or a loved one — doing things that you enjoy without bringing stressors into the picture can greatly add perspective and help reduce stress.

3. Manage your life.
We don’t realize it but stress is often induced by a lack of control, of our environment in particular. Actively schedule and plan your day, with enough time in between so as to not have to be in a constant hurry. Set priorities, goals and milestones and stick to them. Try not to multitask too often -- instead, complete one before moving on to the other. You'll find that with organization and planning, you'll feel less distressed.

4. Moderate your physical reactions.
First, note the typical physiological reactions that hit you when you’re stressed — do you experience shortness of breath? A quickening of your heart rate? Tensing at the back of your neck? Note all that and learn to moderate it. When it hits you, practice certain techniques. For example, slow, calculated and deep breathing can bring your heart and breathing rate back to normal and there are many other relaxation techniques out there that help reduce muscle tensions. I don’t particularly endorse medications as a method of stress reduction as they are merely a short-term solution. Moderating these reactions on your own can benefit you in the long run.

Personal growth is an amazing part of our life.. and at the same time, it can be incredibly stressful. Utilize these 4 steps in managing your life and let positive stress work wonders for your personal development!

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