10 Tips on How To Deal With Stress
This week, I'm thrilled to share our latest episode in our How-To series featuring Dr. Jennifer Taitz, a clinical psychologist and author of the new book "Stress Resets: How to Soothe Your Body and Mind in Minutes." Dr. Taitz brings both scientific expertise and practical wisdom to our conversation about managing life's pressures more effectively.
In this episode's companion guide, we explore ten evidence-based strategies for dealing with stress:
How to Deal with Stress: 10 Strategies to Help You Manage Life's Pressures More Effectively
Reevaluate Your Stress. Research shows that how we think about stress actually changes how stress impacts us. Studies reveal that people who think stress is harmful are more likely to die from stress-related causes. But when we view stress as a positive thing—and recognize it as a normal coping mechanism—we're better equipped to handle challenging situations.
Nip Rumination in the Bud. Combat overthinking through techniques like self-distancing, switching "why" questions to "how" questions, and expressive writing. Try scheduling a specific "worry time" or using cognitive diffusion—like singing your anxious thoughts or imagining them in Star Wars scrolling text to take their power away.
Engage in Distress Tolerance. When emotions feel overwhelming, we learn to accept what we're feeling in the moment—this is distress tolerance. Try affect labeling, or labeling your emotions with words. This reduces activity in your brain's emotional center and activates the part of your brain that regulates your emotions.
Take Meaningful Action. Instead of getting stuck in stress, we can engage in self-soothing behaviors, or emotional "pick me ups," which can help us move forward despite discomfort. Dr. Jenny recommends creating a "hope kit"—a collection of things that engage our senses that have enriched your life.
Find Your Purpose. Look beyond your to-do list to connect with deeper values. Engaging in acts of kindness or practicing loving-kindness meditation can lift you out of stress by connecting you to something larger than yourself.
Hack Your Body. Physical interventions can quickly reset your stress response. Dr. Jenny uses the acronym TIPP: temperature, intense exercise, paced breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation:
T for Temperature: Try plunging your face in ice-cold water to activate your mammalian dive response.
I for Intense Exercise: Engage in short bursts of movement like burpees for 1 or 2 minutes.
P for Paced Breathing: Practice taking deep breaths (inhale for 5, exhale for 5).
P for Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Tense and release muscle groups in sequence—start by tensing your forehead and releasing, then your lips, shoulders, chest, and fists, noticing the contrast between tension and relaxation with each breath.
Engage Your Senses. Simple sensory techniques can break the stress cycle. Use self-soothing touch like placing a hand on your heart. Science shows that placing your hands over your heart or giving yourself a gentle hug can trigger your body's natural calming response. Next time you're feeling overwhelmed, try giving yourself a hug, putting on fuzzy socks, or playing relaxing music—these small acts of self-care can help you feel just a bit calmer.
Use Mental Rehearsal. Use mental rehearsal to prepare for challenging situations. Rehearsing a tough situation in your head activates the same brain regions you'll use during the actual event. Try "coping ahead" by mapping out specific strategies for anticipated stressors.
Find Humor Before the Stress Kicks In. Building more laughter into your life can be a stress buffer. Look for opportunities to find lightness in daily situations and intensionally seek out humor through comedy, playful activities, or spending time with people who make you laugh.
Plot Out Your Joy. Scheduling joy is like making deposits in your emotional bank account to offset stress. Research suggests that when we actively plan pleasant events ahead of time (just like we do with work meetings!), we're much more likely to follow through with that movie night or coffee date with friends. So try putting a few joy appointments on your calendar this week—it'll give you something to look forward to and help ensure those meaningful moments don't slip away.
Remember, these strategies take just minutes to implement but are shown to make a real difference. You don't need to use them all—experiment to find what works best for you. Whether you're dealing with work pressure, relationship stress, or any of life's other stressors, I hope you'll find some helpful tools in this practical companion guide.
Source: Dr. Laurie Santos
“These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.”
– Najwa Zebian
Did You Know This About DiSC®?
Agile EQ Edition
Everything DiSC Agile EQ doesn’t just measure a person’s EQ. It provides a foundation for improving EQ by focusing on observable behaviors that are measured by DiSC.
Agile EQ helps learners understand their emotional responses by using both the language of DiSC and a new concept called Mindsets. The Agile EQ Mindset map helps learners recognize what behaviors are associated with the different mindsets(below).
