Confessions Of A Stress Management Specialist

When someone calls me for stress control coaching they are usually at their wit's end. They are feeling out of control, overwhelmed, full of anxiety, and with no realistic plan or idea of how to right their foundering ship. They may have been engaging in self-sabotage for so long, they don't even recognize what they are doing to themselves. That's where I come in. I assess them, support them, teach them stress control and coping tools, and bring them out of their funk and help them re-engage with life, on new terms. Here are the top five most important things to know if you are about to embark on a stress management program.

1. Define And Sharpen Your Stressors: People come to my offices and know things in their life are not going well, and they can identify how they feel, but they don't identify their actual problems very accurately. I help you clarify the exact issues that are bothering you, so we can begin to formulate a cogent strategy to manage these stressors.

2. Do A 360-Degree Review For Quality Feedback: A very easy and fast way to get the big picture on your stress is to enlist people you know. Ask your family, friends and friendly co-workers how they view your stressors. Ask how they see them impacting you, and how you are currently attempting to manage them.

3. Write In Your Stress Journal: Take the data from #1 and #2 and write it in a special journal. Write in this daily and capture your feelings, observations and how you are reacting to stress, and how you are attempting to minimize these stressors. Each day write down three things you thought you did well in handling these issues in a "brag list". That will help you make a positive mental shift.

4. Create A Support Dream Team: You need to be around people who have your best interests at heart. Who can you trust to share some of your burdens? Do you need a therapist as well as a stress management coach? Do you need a nutritionist? Fitness trainer? Compile a team you can trust and confide in.

5. Plan Your Work And Then Work Your Plan: From the foregoing, you and your stress coach will formulate a thoughtful stress control plan, with goals, contingency plans and a master list of stress management skills that will help you solve the issues that get in your way.

6. Take Massive Action: Action is a wonderful antidote to feeling out of control and ineffective. Take back your power by amping up your stress control strategy on a daily basis. Continue using your brag list, the stress tools you learn from your stress coach, and enjoy watching your progress back to more enjoyable living!

So now you can see why I was so passionate about telling you how people self-sabotage. You can leave that in the dust. Now you know how to create an action plan and how to spring it into action. Good luck!