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# How to manage stress

I have talked to many people over the years about stress and there is one unifying factor, they are all good at handling stress. All of them. Not one has ever said that they are bad at managing life's pressures whether they be work or family, money or health. Each and every one of us seems to be absolutely capable, at least that is what we say.

Of course, when people are not under pressure, it is easy to have the view that the process for stress management is good, after all, they weren't stressed. Maybe people assume that because they aren't stressed that it means they have a good process.

http://i.imgur.com/8OPkvnq.jpg

## How do you manage stress?

I often ask how people manage stress, what *is* their process. Very few seem to know, at least systematically and some say things like, go for a walk in the forest, or take a break and do something else for awhile.

However, I often get to ask people when they are under stress too, when they are feeling the pressure and again, there is a unified response. The stress is because of external events, and people that they have no control over. The market situation or a bad boss that keeps piling on work. No one can cope in theses conditions, is the call.

## The better and worse

The problem is, some can. Some people have the ability to take enormous amounts of pressure without cracking, flexing maybe, but not cracking. I get the opportunity to talk to some of these people too and ask them what their process is. All know. All have a systematic approach to how they cope under the weights placed upon them, or they place upon themselves.

Not all do the same things of course, each has variation in their approach to managing themselves under pressure. And therein lies a key to it, managing themselves, not just their tasks.

When many approach stressful situations they look to manage their tasks first which of course require handling, but not first. Many think that because it is the things that need to be done that are applying the pressure, removing them is the key to relief. This is true, but not the first door to unlock. The first thing to do under pressure is to get a hold of the self and managing personal processes, as it is from there that all else will stem.

## Just do it - curl into a ball.

If one is under stress, pressured, panicked, rushed, it is likely that any decision on how to move forward will be made from that position and will likely not be well developed. Also, any action will also be rushed and likely lose accuracy, efficiency and power. This will in turn create more stress as failures and unexpected results start to be returned as outcomes of action.

Decisions stemming from a calm psychological point are likely to be more evaluative, measured, less reactive, more sensitive to requirements and will therefore be better fit to the needs of the situation. 

## Quick! I need to learn yesterday

This is why good traders (not me) have pre-planned trading strategies that they attempt to stick to in order to fight the emotional urges forced by market fluctuations. Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a big driver of irrational and panicked decision making and I for one have reacted from a panicked position before.

The key here is of course, pre-planned. When it comes to stress though, people generally do not prepare for it beforehand for as I stated above, when not stressed, people assume that they are good at it. The human mind does not like discomfort and will therefore avoid it if possible. For most, they will not even simulate being in uncomfortable circumstances if there is no need. They must be forced - *stressed* - to think about it.

When they are normally pushed into it however, it is because reality has given them a real-world situation and they *must* deal with it. This is the worst time to learn a coping strategy, as all resources are required to cope already and the cost of failure is very real and potentially, very high.

## Do you know what is coming?

Those that tend to manage stress well are those who simulate real-world environments well before the events are likely to happen. But of course, we cannot know what kind or what depth of disaster we will actually face. They get around this be imagining the worst case scenarios which are never pleasant, but this goes a long way to closing some mental gaps for a range of eventualities. It also means that many times, once the scenarios have been imagined well enough, actions are taken to prepare some practical measures, just in case.

This means, that when the stress does start, the prepared do not feel it as soon as their measures come into play, but they do recognize the situation as it has tripped their early warning cans on a string. This means that their secondary measures can be enacted before the situation grows further and future plans created, if conditions continue to degrade - All while not under stress. 

>Purposeful, precise, well thought out action.

Most tend not to do this as it is an investment that has no measurable return, but come stressful times, they are the ones that will be forced to move and lose their control on what they are able to do. That is stressful in itself and adds further pressure and blame-seeking behavior.

Life is filled with unexpected events that are near unpredictable, but there is always one factor that should be at least somewhat manageable and that is ourselves. We should have some understanding at least as to how we process and manage ourselves when faced with difficult circumstances and we could have even developed strategies on how to trade our actions for acceptable returns from circumstances.

No one plans to have fires start around them but when they do, that is not the time to go to the store and buy a fire extinguisher.

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]



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