Reducing Stress for High Performing Professionals

High performing professionals are constantly on the go sometimes working well into the evening and even on weekends. Furthermore, many high-performing professionals rarely take a vacation. Even when we love our job there are times in which we start to get burned out from stress. Here are some important tips for reducing the stress.

Expect and Anticipate Change

As a working professional, you know that changes are going to happen. You might get a lot of new clients all at once or maybe your business is in planning mode. If you normally get stressed out when changes occur, reframe your mindset to start expecting and preparing change.

• Expect change. If you do this, you will relieve some stress instantly. You won’t be so on edge waiting for a change to occur, because you already expect it to happen.
• Prepare for change. Maybe this means you have pre-scheduled business meetings to keep everyone in the loop. It could mean you give yourself an extra 20 minutes during your workday to make notes on the changes that are happening. Preparation is the key to reducing stress.
• Make plans. Part of the preparation process includes making plans. Once changes occur, make a written plan for how you will deal with it. This could be a short bulleted list or a full plan. Either way, the plans are going to give you an idea of what you will be doing next. Eliminate the urge to second guess your next step.

Focusing on Opportunity

Many high performing professionals focus on the things that limit them. They are focusing on the next big project ahead or hitting budget for the quarter. Instead of focusing on what limits you, focus on the opportunities you have in front of you. Limitations hold you back and create more stress. Opportunities allow you to see positivity and solutions which reduce stress.

• Get rid of limiting thoughts. Replace any limiting thoughts that come up with a positive ones. This will help you see the better side of things.
• Focus on the opportunities. Everything in life provides you with at least one opportunity. If you are stressed because you are so focused on the things that limit you, find that opportunity. By hiring new employees for a project, the opportunity is you have people with fresh eyes who will be completely dedicated to bringing excellent results to the project.

Change Your Mental Scripting

Everyone has thoughts going through their head at all times. Some people tell themselves negative things and some positive. If you are constantly in your own head, sorting through all the ways things could go wrong, you are going to be stressed out. However, if you change your mental scripting to positive thinking, you can put yourself in a much better place and reduce your stress as well.

• Stop negative thoughts. If your mental scripting is negative, you are going to be stuck in a never-ending cycle of stress and exhaustion. The negative scripting is what holds you back and causes the stressful situations.
• Turn negative scripting to positive. For every negative thing you tell yourself, find a way to make it positive. For example, if you say, “I am never going to get this project done on time” that probably stresses you out. What if you were to say, “I have a list of people who I can delegate tasks to, so we can get this project done before the deadline”
• Practice makes perfect. It isn’t always easy to change your mental scripting. Keep practicing, and you will get there. Once you get the hang of it, you can reduce much of the stress you are dealing with now. Changing your mental scripting does make a difference. When you think more positive thoughts and think more of yourself, you can reduce stress and get more done.

Express Appreciation and Gratitude

Another reason that many high performing professionals are constantly stressed out is they don’t take the time to appreciate what they have. We all experience times we are too busy focusing on all we have to do, instead of appreciating all we have accomplished. If you have more appreciation and take the time to stop and breathe, you can reduce stress.

• Show yourself some appreciation. Take the time to make a list of your recent accomplishments. Think about tasks and projects you achieve in your career, at home or in your community.
• Appreciate the people who help you. Make sure you take time to tell your co-workers or employees that you appreciate them. Look at all the work they do for you and express your gratitude. Every needs a little appreciation.
• Be grateful for what life has given you. Even if you had a tough past, maybe you had to get substance abuse treatments or deal with a rough childhood, you are a still living today. You should take the time to appreciate what life has given you, where it has brought you, and where you are still headed.

Use these tips to reduce stress – you are a high performing professional, and you can feel great about that.

Quick Guide to Beating Burnout

Want to leverage these concepts in your organization? Learn more from Dr. Jeff Jernigan and his 5 strategies to beat burnout.

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About the Contributor // Patrick Bailey is a professional writer in the fields of mental health, addiction, and living in recovery. He attempts to stay on top of the latest news in the addiction and the mental health world and enjoys writing about these topics to break the stigma associated with them. Connect with Patrick on his website.