In our society of hustle culture, we talk a lot about doing more and being more productive. However, for every strategy I've seen to do more work, I've seen the same strategy for stress management repeated which ultimately boils down to just don't worry about it. Today, I'll be going over why stress management is a crucial skill and how to obtain it.

The points I'll be going over today are:

• Courage and taking action
• Fulfillment and reframing
• Autonomy and full self-control

Proper Stress Management produces courage

Have you ever met somebody who just did things that you would normally be worried about doing? Like saying something potentially stupid or doing something that would make you fall on your face. As much as we may tell them to stop, these people exhibit the first fruit of proper stress management.

Many people think that having courage means you aren't scared, but that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, all courageous people still feel fear.

The difference is that people with courage take action despite their fear. The feeling of fear doesn't stop them, or rather, the stress caused by their fear doesn't stop them.

The first big reason why stress management is a crucial skill is that it's the difference between having courage and not having it. Those who are brave and bold feel fear, and don't allow the stress from fear to control them.

In order to accomplish this, you need to go slowly. It isn't wise to dive into the deep end of a pool if you've never gone swimming before.

You need to start small, but just beyond the edge of what you can manage. Slowly, bit by bit, you expand your comfort zone to include what's beyond that edge.

Then, once you've accomplished that, take note of how you aren't dead and are completely fine. This shows your mind that there was never anything to worry about.

By repeating these two steps, you expand your comfort zone while eliminating the cause of your stress in the first place. You will simultaneously develop stress management skills and expand your horizons at the same time.

Fulfillment is found in a stable environment

If you take a look at people who are constantly stressed, you'll find that they are anything but happy. The same can be said for those who are constantly without stress. They have nothing to do and become restless. Stress management goes beyond just negative stress. You must also learn to include positive stress and make that manageable.

It surprises me that a lot of people are aware that stress can be good, but they also don't know that there's a separate term for it. Bad stress is referred to as distress, whereas good stress is referred to as eustress.

Distress is when the stress is unmanageable. It becomes too much to bear and is often what leads to things like mental breakdowns.

Eustress is coined as being moderate and normal. It isn't too much, but isn't too little. It's the kind of stress that pushes you to take productive action.

Stress management is a crucial skill because you need to find a way to balance out your two different types of stress. You need to find the balance between your distress and eustress.

In order to do this balancing act, you need to identify two different things. You need to identify your sources of distress and your desired sources of eustress.

Once you've identified your sources of distress, you want to eliminate them. If that means you need to find a way to cut them out, then find that way.

On the other hand, choosing the types of eustress to have can be tricky. It's a lot easier to know what you don't want than it is to know what you do want.

One very easy option is to pick something that puts you under the scrutiny of others. Something competitive like a sport or online video game.

By exposing yourself to these environments, you are teaching yourself that your fear is unfounded and the stress caused by that fear will naturally dissipate. Just remember to keep a balanced amount of stress in your life.

Stress Management is crucial for feeling like you have control

The feeling that you have no power to change something is a terrible feeling. It leaves you feeling hopeless and helpless. The one caveat to this feeling is that it's all pretty much in your head. However, when we're stressed, we become too preoccupied to notice this.

Of all the human desires, remaining autonomous is at the forefront of them alongside feeling important. If you don't feel like you have control, you tend to lash out.

There are many things that can push you over the edge, but they all contribute in the same way. These things all fill up your stress tank.

The more your stress tank fills up, the less control you feel you have. And when we feel like we're out of control, that's when things get ugly.

Stress management is crucial to keeping yourself composed and preventing yourself from lashing out at others. Luckily, it's not difficult to develop.

On the side of distress, you want to avoid situations that will set you off. If you never get triggered, you will never experience distress.

Or, you learn how to expand the range of stress you can handle. You can't experience distress if you never get triggered.

On the side of eustress, pick out activities you want to do but are beyond the edge of your comfort zone. Take small steps and slowly expand your comfort zone.

Another thing you can do is do those activities with a friend. It's easier to do when you're not alone, and more enjoyable if you make a friendly contest out of it.

Whatever method you choose to follow, making sure you properly keep your stress managed is crucial to having a healthy and happy life. After all, Life is more fun when you feel like you're in control.

Stress Management is a crucial skill for a healthy life

Having the ability to make things more stressful or less stressful is a very useful skill. Without the application of both, you end up stagnating in life.

The important thing is to keep yourself balanced. Too much of either side of the coin will throw you off. By maintaining balance, you maintain a healthy life.

- Karl