10 Tips to Help You Thrive During High Stress Times

Whether you are the campus testing coordinator, district testing coordinator, master scheduler, or administrator, the spring often equates to crunch time. Stress levels, tension, and anxiety tend to run high during this time of the school year. According to Forbes Magazine, professionals have anywhere from 30 to 100 projects on their plate. Just looking at those numbers can be stressful, much less trying to accomplish the projects. Taking a few moments to take care of yourself and focus on some stress minimizing tips can have great rewards.  

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Use these 10 tips to help you thrive during high stress times.

1. Breakfast

Start your day off right. A healthy breakfast is key to starting the day off right, but the added nutrition carries into attitude and behavior. You can probably recall a time when you responded to someone out of “hanger” (hungry-anger).  

2. Conflict Reduction

Focus on your emotional health. Conflicts among co-workers can take an emotional toll on you and slow down your productivity.

3. Comfort

Being comfortable in your workspace helps lower stress levels. Pick out an office chair that fits your body. Have decorations and family photos in place to help provide a comfortable workspace.  

4. Walk

Plan time during your lunch break to go for a walk. Taking a walk outdoors on a nice day brings stress down, but also provides a great source of Vitamin D. If the weather is not conducive for an outdoor walk, plan a route around the building. Plan a path where you can say hello to someone you have not seen in a while.  

5. Perfectionism Pitfalls

Keep your level of perfectionism in check. You likely got the job you have now because of your performance on different projects or activities. In a fast-paced job, doing everything perfectly every time can be a source of stress. Switch your strategy to do your best rather than strive for perfection.  

6. Music

Playing soft music while working can also lower your stress level. Don’t forget the music on your drive to and from work. Turning on some of your favorite tunes, even blasting a song with the windows down, can help lower your stress as well as put you in a happy and calm mood.

7. Work-Life Balance

Create clear boundaries between work and your personal life. Work duties creeping into your personal time can be a source of stress but can also send the message that you are available around the clock. While this may be maintainable for the short term, it ultimately leads to burn out.

8. Network

Have a network of friends and family you can reach out to when stress seems to be getting the best of you. Have people who will listen to you but also lift you back up, and people who will tell you funny stories or catch you up on current family events. Quality conversation often helps lower stress levels.

9. Exercise

Make time for regular exercise. Go for a walk, run, spin class, yoga, etc. Try to schedule 30 minutes of activity at least 3-5 days a week. This will lift your mood, increase your energy, and positively impact your ability to focus. Make yourself do it – no matter how busy or how exhausted you are! You will thank yourself at the end of the workout!  

10. Sleep

Getting enough sleep (around 8 hours) has a direct impact on your stress level. Skipping out on sleep impacts your productivity, ability to focus, creativity, and more. Turn off phones and tablets at least 30 minutes before going to bed. Screen time can impact your ability to fall asleep because it keeps your brain stimulated and the light emitted from the devices suppresses your body’s melatonin production.

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Bonus Tip: Organization

Develop a system that works for you and stick to it. Even simple things can have a big impact. A daily, prioritized to-do list will help you stay focused and minimize stress. Also, think about ways to organize your technology. How are your folders and documents named and organized? Being able to quickly locate a needed resource or share a file eases stress but also increases your productivity.

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