Stress Management

By Stacy M. Menz, PT, DPT

Stress management. Oh fun. I’m still not convinced that there is a way to manage stress. I find that I either have stress or I don’t.

I guess the trick would be to decrease the times that stress appears, if that were only possible, but I am a big believer that stress to a certain extent promotes growth, change, and transformation. Therefore, I think it’s about finding the level of stress that drives forth these things, and staying away from the level that potentially incapacitates you!

I am fresh off of a vacation, and it was so nice to get away and unplug and give my mind a break from the day to day of running the business. It was also nice to know that the people who were there could handle it and I didn’t have to worry. However, once I came back, it was like I had never left. The same challenges were still there waiting for me.

The articles in this issue do a great job of talking about ways to take some breaks, get a fresh perspective, and keep the stress level at productive rather than destructive. Some of the tips and techniques may be things you have heard before, but sometimes reading about it at a different time or in a different context may give you that “aha” moment.

For instance, I am a big believer in to do lists. I like crossing things off. It keeps me organized and feeling I’m accomplishing things. Sometimes my lists get out of control, though, and I find myself more overwhelmed. Luckily, when I was recently in this situation, I happened on an Instagram story about decreasing overwhelm and stress by using a “brain dump.” It was basically a to do list but with organization, and I implemented it right then and there. This practice helped me to maintain a sense of productivity leading up to my vacation, and now that I am back I have managed to hold off the feeling of “overwhelm.”

What are some of the strategies you implement to keep your stress at a productive level?