Stress is a normal and inevitable part of life. It is the body’s response to any demand or challenge that requires adaptation or coping. Stress can be positive or negative depending on the type, intensity, duration, and frequency of the stressor and the person’s perception and resources. In order to achieve your goals, it is vital to overcome stress which may impede your realisation of these goals.

Stress can also interfere with your ability to achieve your goals. It can lower your motivation, confidence, and productivity. It can make you procrastinate, avoid challenges, or give up easily. It can also impair your decision-making, problem-solving, and creativity skills. However, stress is not always bad. It can also be a positive force that helps you grow and improve. It can challenge you to learn new skills, overcome obstacles, and adapt to changes. It can also enhance your performance, focus, and resilience. Positive stress can motivate you and enhance your performance and growth. Negative stress can overwhelm you and impair your health and well-being.

The key to overcoming stress and achieving your goals is to find the right balance between stress and relaxation. You need to overcome stress in a healthy way that suits your needs and preferences. You also need to align your goals with your values and passions. You need to set realistic and specific goals that are attainable and measurable. You also need to plan your actions and track your progress.

In this guide, we will provide you with tips on how to overcome stress in a healthy way which will enhance your ability to achieve your goals.

Tips on How to overcome stress

1. Identify the sources of your stress: Stress can come from various aspects of your life such as work, school, family, friends, finances, health, or personal issues. Some stressors are external and beyond your control such as natural disasters or traffic jams. Some stressors are internal and within your control such as your thoughts or habits. Identifying the sources of your stress can help you understand what triggers it and how it affects you.
2. Evaluate your stress level: Stress level is the degree of how much stress you experience and how well you cope with it. Stress levels can vary from person to person depending on their personality, attitude, beliefs, values, expectations, goals, skills, and resources. Evaluating your stress level can help you determine how much stress is too much for you and how it impacts your physical, mental, emotional and behavioural health. You can use tools such as a stress scale, stress diary or stress test to measure your stress level.
3. Categorize your stressors into manageable and unmanageable ones: Manageable stressors are those that you can change or influence such as your workload, your schedule, your relationships or your lifestyle choices. Unmanageable stressors are those that you cannot change or influence such as the weather, the economy or other people’s behaviour. Categorizing your stressors into manageable and unmanageable ones can help you prioritize what matters most to you and focus on what you can control rather than what you cannot.
4. Use problem-solving strategies for manageable stressors: Problem-solving strategies are ways of finding solutions to problems that cause you stress such as setting goals, making plans, taking action, evaluating results and making adjustments. Using problem-solving strategies for manageable stressors can help you to overcome stress and improve your situation and satisfaction. Some steps for using problem-solving strategies are:

1. • Define the problem clearly and specifically: What is the problem? Why is it a problem? Who is involved? When and where does it occur?
   • Generate possible solutions: What are some ways to solve the problem? What are the pros and cons of each solution? How realistic and feasible are they?
   • Choose the best solution: What is the most effective and appropriate solution for the problem? How confident are you that it will work? What resources and support do you need to implement it?
   • Implement the solution: How will you put the solution into action? What steps will you take? When will you start and finish? How will you monitor your progress and overcome any obstacles?
   • Evaluate the outcome: How well did the solution work? Did it solve the problem or reduce the stress? What were the benefits and costs of the solution? What did you learn from the experience? What can you do differently next time?

6. Use coping strategies for unmanageable stressors: Coping strategies are ways of dealing with stress that you cannot change or influence such as accepting reality changing your perspective seeking support or expressing your emotions. Using coping strategies for unmanageable stressors can help you reduce or manage the impact of your stress and enhance your resilience and well-being. Some examples of coping strategies are:
   • Accept reality: Accepting reality is when you acknowledge and accept what you cannot change or control such as the past the present or other people’s actions or feelings. Accepting reality can help you avoid denial resistance or frustration and focus on what you can do rather than what you cannot. You can use techniques such as mindfulness meditation or affirmations to help you accept reality.
   • Change your perspective: Changing your perspective is when you reframe or reinterpret your situation or stressor in a more positive constructive or realistic way such as seeing the opportunity the lesson or the humour in it. Changing your perspective can help you reduce negative emotions such as anger fear or sadness and increase positive emotions such as gratitude hope or joy. You can use techniques such as cognitive restructuring positive thinking or humour to help you change your perspective.
   • Seek support: Seeking support is when you reach out to others who can help you cope with your stress such as family, friends, colleagues, professionals or groups. Seeking support can help you feel less alone, more understood and more valued. It can also provide you with advice, feedback, resources or assistance that can improve your situation or well-being. You can use techniques such as communication skills, assertiveness skills or social skills to help you seek support effectively.
   • Express your emotions: Expressing your emotions is when you acknowledge and release your feelings that are associated with your stress such as anger, fear, sadness, anxiety, or guilt. Expressing your emotions can help you prevent them from building up, bottling up, or exploding out of control. It can also help you process and understand them better, and make room for more positive emotions. You can use techniques such as journaling, talking, crying, screaming, laughing, or art to help you express your emotions safely and healthily.
7. Practice relaxation techniques: Relaxation techniques are ways of calming your body and mind from stress such as breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, visualization, autogenic training, biofeedback, hypnosis, or massage. Practicing relaxation techniques can help you lower your heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, muscle tension, and cortisol levels. It can also help you increase your blood flow, oxygen levels, immune function, and endorphin levels. It can also help you improve your mood, attention, memory, and sleep quality.
8. Engage in enjoyable activities: Enjoyable activities are those that make you happy and fulfilled such as hobbies, interests, passions, or fun. Engaging in enjoyable activities can help you distract yourself from stress, balance your life, express yourself, develop your skills, and enhance your self-esteem. It can also help you experience positive emotions such as joy, excitement, satisfaction, or pride.

Stress can affect different people in different ways. Some people may overcome stress better than others. Some people may experience more stress than others. The level of stress you are comfortable with may depend on your genes, upbringing, experiences, personality, resources, and support. By following this guide, you will be able to reduce your stress level and achieve your goals.