Some stress is inevitable. You will feel stressed at work, be late to work, pay bills, and have to deal with personal and professional obligations. Is it really so difficult to manage your time? Or is this a way of increasing your stress?
Not “every bit of stress we have is self-created,”Susan Fletcher is a psychologist, consultant, and author of “Working in the Smart Zone” “Parenting in the Smart Zone,”Interview with SUCCESS Magazine. “But every single person can make things harder than they need to be.”
Reading too much can cause stress in your life. Sometimes, a glance may be just that: a glance. And sometimes a dirty coffee mug in the sink is just that, a dirty coffee mug.
Some people may accept projects that are too big for one person, but insist on handling everything because they feel they are the best person to do the job. “Another way people create stress is when they believe they are the only person who can do something, and they don’t involve or collaborate with other people,”Fletcher. “Women do it at home a lot, and I believe both genders do it a lot at work.”
How can self-stressors learn how to stop creating their anxiety? Fletcher has the following tips for self-stressors:
* Learn to trust. Give others around you some rope. The people you work alongside will not learn how to manage their own projects if you do them all yourself. You must trust them to complete the project. Failure is a learning opportunity.
* Set clear goals. Know what you want. It is important to know what you must do in order to achieve your goals. Focusing on too many things can cause you to lose sight of the important things.
* Choose an accountability partner. Find a friend or family member (albeit one who does not live with you) who will both listen to you and hold you accountable.
You can read Susan Fletcher’s complete interview online. For more information on taking control of your life, go to SUCCESS magazine at www.SUCCESS.com.
