What’s your preferred approach to deal with stress?
Our reader poll today asks: What’s your preferred approach to deal with stress?
- Exercise and physical movement: 50.2%
- Meditation: 7.9%
- Taking time off: 14.7%
- Distracting yourself: 14.1%
- Something else: 7.8%
- I don’t know how to deal with stress.: 5.2%
Get up and move. Clearly physical activity is the most popular form of stress relief. Whether it’s a quick walk around the office to running a few miles, getting away from your desk and getting into your body is a powerful means of stress relief. The reason physical movement reduces stress is it satisfies your brain’s need to move. This is a pre-historic response generated by the amygdala — your brain’s “alarm.” When stress sets off that alarm, movement turns it off. For those of you simply distracting yourselves or not knowing how to deal with stress, try incorporating some physical movement and see how that helps. Track your stress levels over time. Hopefully you’ll see a meaningful improvement once you start moving more.
Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!
– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
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These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 210,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.
My stress can be from many things, Ex: I proposed a solution that the customer asked for. Found a vendor. worked out all processes and procedures, first year profit estimate etc. only to be told no, “we have always done it this way” My bad for allowing this customer to think it would happen.
Working out helps me greatly. Choosing my battles wisely and occasionally going outside where no one can hear me and screaming like a banshee!
Good suggestions on how to deal with it (working out and choosing your battles). Stress is a constant. All we can control is our reaction to it.