Normally, in a stressful situation I go into, for lack of a better term, 'Stress Mode'. All my senses are heightened and I become super focused. This mode is perfect if I were tending to an injured loved one, or putting out a kitchen fire - however - it is terrible when you are going into week three of overtime. Because in addition to my super focus in 'stress mode', I also lose my sense of humor, become emotionally on edge, easily overwhelmed, and am incapable of seeing the big picture. This makes spending extended periods of time in said, 'stress mode' un-fun for myself and the people around me. This is very upsetting since, the ability to handle pressure situations is vital in the film industry and separates the great from the not-so-great (unemployed). So I've decided to improve.
I've come up with a plan to reduce 'stress mode"s role in my life.
1. Write everything down. This will keep me from churning over everything I have yet to do and becoming overwhelmed. I can prioritize and focus on one thing at a time and experience the joy that comes with crossing something off your 'To Do List'.
2. Keep the blood sugar up. I cannot tell you how many times I have been on the edge convinced that the world was coming to an end, only to be revitalized by a little snack of some kind. A handfull of pretzels or a single piece of string cheese can save the world.
3. If I can't change it, accept it. This one is so hard for me. Not only do I waste time and crush myself with stress about things that have already happened that are beyond my control, but I also spend time and crush myself with stress about things that may or may not happen that are beyond my control. I preemptively stress. Not worth it. So whenever I catch myself stressing about something I cannot change - I am going to try five deep breaths and a mental subject change. Good luck me.
Do any of you have advise? Ways that you have found help you deal with your stressful lives? I will take all the help I can get.
~Claire Out.
2 comments:
OK -- here's my method.
First I list everything that I think I have to do ... in no particular order. Then I prioritize based on what I think is THE most important thing to get done. Next to this item I write an "A+". This is THE thing that must be done before all others for the day. Then I continue through the list looking for the TWO next most important things: they get an "A" next to them. The next THREE most important things get an "A-" next to them; and so on. If you get below the "B's", your list is too long. Finally, I force myself to actually DO the A+ item. It's not easy, but gives me a great deal of satisfaction when it's done. Next I go to the A's and do them. No fair jumping to the B+'s just because they might be fun.
This method works for me and has for many years. The idea is to do the most important (and perhaps most urgent) things FIRST. Don't get lost in the "urgent" but unimportant or, worst of all, non-urgent AND unimportant things. These are the complete time wasters.
Try this method for thirty days. It makes you feel like you're really getting things done in your life; and, in fact, you are.
Love, Uncle Doug
Thanks Uncle Doug, I'll absolutely give that a try.
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