Making an
Action Plan
to Manage Stress
Once you understand the level
of stress under which you work most effectively, and know
precisely what is causing you stress, the next stage is to work out
how to manage stress effectively.
The best way of doing this
will probably be to make an Action Plan of things that you
are going to do to manage stress. Some elements of this action plan
will be actions you are going to take to contain, control or
eliminate problems that are causing you stress.
Other elements may be health
related such as taking more exercise, changing your diet, or
improving the quality of your environment.
Another part of the plan may
cover stress management techniques that you will employ when stress
levels begin to build.
A range of stress
management techniques will be explained later in this article
series. Different techniques are will be effective for different
situations and causes of stress.
The contents and structure of
your plan are for you to devise - it
will depend entirely on your circumstances.
An EXAMPLE PLAN is
shown below:
- Improve co-ordination with John
Smith.
- Train Michael Brown to be able to
take on low level quotation
- Set work goals for what I want to
achieve this year
- Ask for more feedback from my boss
- Buy an ionizer to improve the
office air quality
- Tidy up my office area to reduce
distraction
- Take breaks every two hours at
work
- Go to sleep at 10pm each night to
get adequate sleep
- Reduce the amount of caffeine I
drink
- Plan home goals with my partner
for how we will spend the next month
- Use deep breathing whenever phone
interrupts important work
