In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive business world, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone that isn’t stressed out. And that’s not even mentioning the economic climate, global unrest, and general uncertainties that can plague our thoughts.
Not all stress is bad – in fact, stress is very natural and can be leveraged into forward momentum. The problem, though, is that we’re often chronically stressed (resulting and physical and mental health challenges) and dealing with that stress in less-than-ideal ways.
You’re going to get stressed out. There’s no avoiding it. So, the best thing you can do is to use that stress to your advantage!
6 Ways to Turn Stressful Situations into Productivity Breakthroughs
#1 – Consider the Opportunity
Stressful situations are almost always growth opportunities. You are being tested, stretched, and refined by fire. Though stress can paralyze action and cause a spiral into doubt and fear, it doesn’t have to. Like any opportunity – particularly scary ones – view them as a chance to grow into a better version of yourself. What skill can you sharpen to tackle this problem? How might you be able to gain a new perspective and new experience? Don’t waste the advantages that stressful situations can provide.
#2 – Be Thankful for the Experience
So much of success and productivity comes down to mindset. Stressful circumstances can be make-or-break moments. Part of ensuring a positive outcome begins with gratitude. You can bemoan trying circumstances and fall back on unhealthy coping mechanisms or you can try to discover what you’re being taught in the moment.
At times, it’s hard to be grateful – particularly when faced with the painful, inconvenient, disappointing, and all-around stressful aspects of our professional and personal lives. It might sound absurd to be grateful. But from this starting point, the notion that every circumstance, good or bad, can be used for growth, you can recontextualize the worst of times. Allow this hope and gratitude to motivate progress, problem-solving, and personal development.
#3 – Refocus on What Matters Most
Stress has a habit of providing perspective. When you’re faced with a big decision, a problem, or any other life stress, you’ll find that the things that doesn’t really matter recede into the background. If you allow it to, it can lend clarity to your life where maybe your priorities have been mixed up.
Use this clarity to realign your goals, examine your motives, and focus on what really matters to you.
#4 – Practice Healthy Coping Mechanisms
Rarely will you find someone who achieves success from stress that lacks healthy coping skills. You must cultivate habits, disciplines, and decompression techniques that improve your health and long-term wellbeing. Instead of looking for distractions in food, television, and addictive substances, find relief in self-care, exercise, and a good night’s sleep. You’ll be in far better condition to get the job done and overcome the things putting pressure on your life and career.
#5 – Separate Positive and Negative Stressors
Part of effectively working through stress is to recognize the kind of stress you’re dealing with. We most often think of stress as a bad thing, but that’s just not the case. A negative stressor may be losing a loved one or financial trouble. A positive stressor may be accepting a new job or getting married.
Why are you stressed? Sometimes stress is there as a herald of change, and change can be good. Positive stressors are the easiest to overcome and work through because you know there’s opportunity and benefit on the other side. Negative stressors may leave you feeling hopeless and depressed. Separate the stress in your life and identify the root fear behind them. From there, you can quell them or address them head-on in a targeted, effective manner.
#6 – Practice Planning
Oftentimes, stressful situations seem insurmountable. They’re too big, too powerful, too paralyzing. That doesn’t have to be the case, though. You turn that paralysis into productivity by planning your next move. Create a list of what you need to get done in service of your ultimate goal. Break those tasks down into smaller to-dos, organized by priority.
Write it down. Get it all out. By organizing your thoughts and creating an action plan, you won’t get caught stuck in a cycle of stress and fear. Instead, you equip yourself to move forward into newer, better places.
How do you turn stress into productivity? Share your tactics in the comments.