The more you put into something, the more you will get out of it.

And that’s true…

But working on too many things at once in addition to the other responsibilities you have toward your family, friends and loved ones, can take a toll on your stress levels…

Your boss wants you to get finish a project by the end of the week, your partner desperately wants the two of you to get away for a weekend, creditors are calling you asking you to make a payment, and you’re working toward your dream…all at the same time.

And you go home every day with your cortisol levels through the roof.

But at some point, it just becomes too much to handle. You reach a breaking point where burnout kicks in and you start making irrational decisions. And while these decisions seem great in the short-run, they’re nevertheless harmful in the long-run.

So it’s important for you to catch yourself before you reach the breaking point. And you would benefit from de-stressing on an ongoing basis if you want to stay focused and productive in the long-run.

Here are some tips that can help you address the spike in your adrenaline and cortisol levels and help you clam your nerves.

1. Why Are You Stressed?

Before we dive right in, I want to provide a very simple definition of stress. Stress is the product of feeling overwhelmed.

That’s it.

And it won’t do much for our purposes to go into the medical jargon of stress and how it’s defined in the medical literature. This definition, in my view, is sufficient.

Now you can be overwhelmed for many reasons. You don’t have the skills, you don’t have enough time, you don’t know how, you’re dealing with family problems, your partner is ill, your credit score is low, etc.

And any of these events can interfere with your mood and your livelihood and obviously your stress levels.

So how do you deal with being overwhelmed?

2. Eat Small Meals

People who are stressed out either gain a lot of weight or lose a lot of weight very quickly. That’s how they cope with stress.

But if you do either of those two things, you will do nothing more than increase your stress levels. Don’t indulge in sweets or in junk food or eat a ton of simple cards. Bad food choices, in addition to the stress you’re already experiencing, can wreak havoc on your body.

So eat 4 – 5 small snacks a day. The healthier your body feels, the easier it will be for you to deal with the stress. It certainly won’t solve your actual problems, but it will give you a boost to tackle your problems proactively.

Please don’t underestimate the importance of this tip. Many people unfortunately do and they end up developing all kinds of health problems, not because of the stress, but because of the way they decided to cope with the stress, whether through food, smoking, alcohol, or what have you.

So be sure to make a conscious decision in that area of your life.

Share Your Feelings

One of the worst ways to deal with stress is to do so silently.

You’re not superman. I am not superman. No one is. And no one can deal with ongoing stress all by themselves.

And if you decide to keep bottling things up inside of you, it will have harmful effects on your mental and physical health.

So find a loved one you feel comfortable with who is also willing to listen to your story without judgement, and share with that person what’s causing the stress in your life.

Speak about what’s bothering you and once that’s off your chest, you can begin to devise a plan for how to solve your problems.

But please don’t use your stress as an excuse to get “attention.” Your goal is to feel better, not to feel important. So be wise about it and focus on keeping yourself on track.

3. Burnout

I recognize that some people have to endure stress for longer periods than others. But, as in everything in life, bad things will come to an end.

It’s important to have an end date in sight to look forward to as you’re dealing with your stress, whether it’s the final payment you’re going to make to your creditors, or the submission date you have to stick to for your projects, etc. And it’s important to focus on the end date and the relief you will experience once you’re through the experience. This will help you manage your stress much better than if you didn’t know when things will return to normal.

In addition to the life problems you go through that affect your stress levels, there are also days where you’re stressed out because you can’t seem to make any progress on the projects you’re working on.

And that’s a common reason for stress.

But you have to recognize that you are not going to have perfect days all the time. You’re going to experience a dip in motivation every now and then, and that’s totally fine. That’s normal. Don’t grunt and feel angry for not spending enough time on your goals or for missing a day or two. Recognize that it’s part of the process to feel overwhelmed every now and and it’s completely fine to go through that.

But on the day you decide to rest instead of work, please use it in a positive relaxing way, whatever that might be to you. If watching soap operas relaxes you, then go for it and catch up on these shows. If going for a run relaxes you, then it’s all yours…go for it.

4. Go for a Walk

You can literally walk away stress.

Studies show that as little as a 10 minute walk can dramatically reduce your stress levels. Doing something more active like running or playing sports or working out at the gym can do even more to reduce your stress.

If you’re not a sports person, then I suggest that you pick a time that works for you and go for a walk. You can do that in the morning before you go to work, or you can do that later in the evening after you’ve had dinner. You really have no excuse not to go for a 10 minute walk… that’s like two mailboxes from your house.

Take a proactive approach to stress and recognize that it’s not here to stay.