Continue to track your stress responses each week. Different triggering events are bound to pop up, giving you more information on your coping skills. By developing this self-awareness and building healthy coping mechanisms, you will learn to stop stress from spiraling out of control.
All too often, many folks think the solution to workplace stress or a long list of errands is to power through. However, this grin-and-bear-it mindset -- what some experts call "toxic positivity" -- creates a cycle that can lead to burnout.
And "if you're pretending to be positive but inside you're fearful, that can create even more turbulence," explained Dr. Deepak Chopra, a clinical professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California, to CNN's Julia Chatterley. "You have to get in touch with your emotions."
Suppressing emotional responses, whether positive or negative, triggers the fight-or-flight response in the sympathetic nervous system, increasing your heart rate, found one study. In another study, participants who accepted their own emotional responses to stimuli had lower heart rates; they also recovered from the experience more quickly.
If you're whirling about, stop and take a moment. This will clear your mind and sharpen it, improving your ability to think strategically.
Slowing down your movements also interrupts the stress circuits in the brain, said Michelle Anne, a certified professional coach with training in neuroscience and leadership. A slowdown "is the most profound thing that can heighten your awareness," Anne said.
Pausing to figure out how to navigate workplace tensions or get your family to help with household chores is well worth it.
What strategies do you use to manage situations that may cause stress? Share with us at stressless@newsletters.cnn.com!
