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You may have kept a time log to help productivity, or a food log to help keep track of calories, but what about a stress log?!
A stress log can help you identify keep times of stress, help you identify how you manage your stress, and help you understand your body’s reaction to the stressful event. It can also help you determine the causes of stress in your life, as well as show you how you can better react to stressful events in such a way that helps them solve the problem, or defuse the fire.
My husband and I recently took a leadership class at our church. The following questions are from the material and have been modified for bloggers.
1. What has been your highest cause of stress?
2. Categorize your stress as “good stress” and “bad stress.” For example, a good stress could be helping someone else solve a problem, whereas a bad stress could be a false accusation by someone who is upset with you.
3. Determine what stresses are more difficult for you to manage. Take a step back and think through them, seek counsel and make a plan that will help you better handle these stresses in a more effective way in the future.
When you feel stressed or stretched to the max, stop and take a minute to write down all those things that are making your situation stressful. Manage each element to the stress as quickly and effectively as you can. And move back to your “relaxed” or “stress-free” (perhaps low-stress) place.
Keeping your stress at the lowest level possible by reducing the elements you can control will increase your productivity and help you reach your goals in less time.
What ways have you found successful in managing your stress? Would a stress log help you?!
