I saw a great saying the other day. It goes, “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.”
Stress is that ugly word that is thrown around whenever an obstacle or frustration comes into your awareness. It’s like a virus – when you’re in stress, your mind, body and emotions react and seem to stir up more stress. It becomes a never-ending cycle of agitation that impacts your decisions and your ability to think rationally.
But there is an easy way to regain your perspective, return to your creative powers and calm down your nervous system. It’s as simple as writing it down.
Create a Stress Log. It is a separate list of the items that are causing stress. When you get it out of your head and down on paper, several important things happen:
- Relief. You relieve the strong emotions you feel because of the perceived person, place or thing causing you stress (the stressor). Writing it down allows you (the “stressee”) to step back and look at the situation more objectively. It also helps to take a few deep breaths as you feel the emotional impact of stress leave your body;
- Shrinkage. The stressor shrinks to a manageable size when you write it down. Instead of your imagination creating more stress by constantly reviewing the stressor, putting it into words and writing it down actually weakens it;
- Clarity. As soon as you write it down, ask yourself what you can do to find a solution. Now that the stressor is defined, your mind can work rationally on finding a solution; and
- Power. Taking action on a defined stressor returns your power where it belongs – to you, not the stressor.
You can use a small notebook as your Stress Log or create a folder in a digital application, such as Evernote or Workflowy. How you create your Stress Log is not the important part. Instead, it is actually taking the time to define your stress, write it down and see it objectively so you can begin solving it.
Stress busters are often as simple as putting pen to paper (or stylist to touch screen). But you are the only one who can pick up the pen and move forward toward a calmer day. Only then can you dedicate your energy toward the things that matter.
Gip Erskine, CPM®, CCIM® is a 30+ year commercial property management veteran and the founder of EverSmarts™. Blending his MBA and industry experience with intense study of personal development, he trains property teams and individuals just like you. He developed a unique success curriculum calledChange Course designed specifically for property managers tasked with doing more with less. Through his teachings, Gip gets you past the state of overwhelm and helps you focus on what matters in your career and in your life.
Check out his Free Resource Guide called
Like the EverSmarts Facebook Page. Follow Gip on Twitter.
