Stress Management Techniques

As a psychologist, I often emphasize the importance of how individuals respond to periods of stagnation or adversity. The phrase "When fishermen cannot go to sea, they repair nets" perfectly illustrates a healthy psychological response to life’s inevitable setbacks. Just as fishermen use rough seas as an opportunity to mend their tools, people can use challenging times to reflect, adapt, and strengthen their mental and emotional resilience. This proactive approach prevents feelings of helplessness and fosters a sense of control, which is essential for psychological well-being. From a cognitive-behavioral perspective, engaging in purposeful activities during difficult times helps break the cycle of negative thinking and emotional distress. Instead of viewing obstacles as dead ends, reframing them as opportunities for growth encourages adaptive coping mechanisms. Whether it’s developing new skills, nurturing relationships, or simply taking time for self-reflection, these actions prepare individuals to navigate future challenges more effectively. This mindset not only promotes resilience but also supports long-term mental health and personal development. #wellbeing #emotionalwellbeing #mindset #CBT #Psychology

I used to think reflection was something you did in school, therapy, or after a bad decision. Turns out, when the water is rippling you can’t see your reflection, sometimes you have to stand still and let the water settle to see your reflection. When you’re leading a team, everything moves fast. Ideas are flying, emotions are high, ambition is loud, and everyone wants answers immediately. You can very easily fall into the trap of just reacting. Fixing. Deciding. Moving on. Onto the next thing. No pause. No processing. No thinking about what just happened and why. And that’s where leaders get it wrong. Reflection is what stops you from repeating the same issues dressed up as “new problems.” It’s what helps you understand why the same conversations keep coming up, why certain people disengage, or why you feel constantly exhausted even though, on paper, things are going well. As a CEO and careers leader, especially with a younger team, you are not just managing work. You are shaping how people learn, how they experience leadership, and how they understand their own potential. If you don’t reflect, you end up projecting your stress straight onto them. That’s when you start confusing urgency with importance and control with leadership. And here’s the bit people don’t say out loud: reflection isn’t just about the team. It starts with you. As a CEO, self-reflection is uncomfortable because there’s no one above you to sense-check things. No one is popping into your office to say, “By the way, that came across a bit sharp,” or “You’ve been a nightmare this week, are you alright?” You have to be willing to ask yourself those questions before they turn into culture problems. You have to be honest about whether you’re leading from clarity or from pressure. Young teams feel everything. They notice tone, they read between the lines, they learn what leadership looks like by watching how you handle mistakes, uncertainty, and stress. If you never reflect, you teach them that speed matters more than growth and that being busy is more impressive than being thoughtful. Reflection is what allows you to respond instead of react. It’s what helps you say, “Actually, I could have handled that better,” without seeing it as weakness. It’s what turns mistakes into learning rather than quiet resentment on both sides. Sometimes reflection is five minutes asking yourself why that conversation irritated you so much. Sometimes it’s admitting you’re overloaded and expecting everyone else to absorb it. Sometimes it’s realising your team isn’t the problem, society is. Good leaders don’t have all the answers. Reflective leaders ask better questions of themselves first. Now, off I go to reflect on why I said yes to three things I absolutely did not have the capacity for. Signed, Jackson Chief Careers Officer Mission to inspire 100 million people with career advice globally.

Journaling, Gratitude, and Visualisation Arsenal F.C and England international player Myles Lewis-Skelly discusses the psychological tools he learned from his mum and how he frequently uses them. Given that Myles is only 18, this is an excellent example for other young athletes regarding the use of different psychological skills, particularly as they are likely to impact his well-being and performance, because he uses them daily in preparation for matches. Myles mentioned: 1️⃣ Journalling 2️⃣ Gratitude 3️⃣ Visualisation 1️⃣ Journalling Myles said he normally makes a journal entry in the morning and evenings. There is evidence that this can boost resilience. Bucknell et al. (2023) explored the effects of written reflections on: (1) successful coping experiences, (2) Unsuccessful coping experiences, or (3) the stressful experience alone, via a randomised controlled design. They found that reflecting on both successful and unsuccessful coping experiences was more effective than just describing stressful experiences, and the benefits of writing about successful coping strategies lasted longer than those of writing about unsuccessful coping events. 2️⃣ Gratitude Myles spoke about expressing gratitude, and there are several psychological and physiological benefits of this. Research by Newman et al. (2021) revealed that being grateful can positively influence: ✅ Lower heart rate ✅ Lower blood pressure ✅ Better sleep quality ✅ Reduced stress ✅ More positive expectations ✅ More positive reflections ✅ Greater feelings of appreciation towards others  Bohlmeijer et al. (2020) reported that expressing gratitude enhanced mental well-being. 3️⃣ Visualisation Finally, Myles spoke about using visualisation. Meta-analyses conducted by Simonsmeier et al. (2020) and Toth et al. (2020) analysed studies examining mental imagery's effects on sports performance. These authors found that mental imagery can significantly enhance sporting performance. It should be noted, however, that several factors influence the extent to which imagery will be beneficial, such as the imagery ability of an athlete (Williams & Cumming, 2011) or their level of expertise (Simonsmeier et al., 2018).

The goal isn't to eliminate stress. Because if you're leading a company, that's unrealistic. But what you should question is whether your body gets enough opportunities to recover before the next demanding period. I've worked with executives whose calendars have honestly looked impossible. And what's separated the ones who performed from those who couldn't,  was having systems that prevented stress from accumulating. Research backs this up: Recovery between periods of stress is one of the strongest predictors of resilience. Without it, your nervous system stays activated for longer,  sleep quality declines, decision-making suffers, and eventually your capacity starts to minimize. That's why I encourage leaders to think about stress differently. I lean on these few practices: 1️⃣ Separate today's problems from tomorrow's.  ↳ Focus on what you can influence right now. 2️⃣ Create a recovery window between demanding meetings.  ↳ Even 5 minutes away from your screen changes how you enter the next conversation. 3️⃣ Aim for progress instead of perfection. ↳ Chasing 100% on every task is an efficient way to drain your energy. 4️⃣ Pay attention to stress stacking.  ↳ A poor night's sleep, travel, difficult meetings, and family pressures rarely arrive one at a time. 5️⃣ Be precise with your thinking.  ↳ "I'm overwhelmed" is far less useful than identifying the specific challenge you're preparing to handle. 6️⃣ Review your recovery with the same discipline you review your business.  ↳ Sleep, movement, nutrition, and time away from work deserve a place on the agenda. The stress itself isn't the biggest problem. But living as though every day is an emergency is. Stay healthy. P.S. I write The Upward ARC every Sunday for leaders trying to build sustainable performance without carrying chronic stress into every part of life. Join here: https://bit.ly/UpwardARC ♻️ Repost to help leaders recognize the signs earlier. 🔔 Follow Andre Heeg, MD for more.

Think about how you felt the last time your day was booked with back-to-back meetings. It’s no secret that days like these take a mental toll. New research provides clear evidence that the strain of going from one meeting to the next takes a toll on your brain. In the study, researchers took two groups of people and put EEG caps on them to measure brain activity associated with stress. One group had back-to-back meetings with no breaks, and the other had just a short break between each meeting. What they found can be described in color. The no-break group had what could be visually described as a red brain. The group that had just a short break in between meetings maintained what is called blue brain throughout. As you can surmise, red brain is associated with stress, lack of focus, and reduced engagement. Researchers found that even a 10-minute break gave the brain time to reset. Scheduling breaks between meetings will help make your meetings more effective, efficient, and effortless. Here are 3 rules for effortless meetings: 1. Make it harder to have meetings 2. Every meeting must have a clear agenda 3. Schedule breaks between meetings to give your mind a break

The fear of seeming incompetent runs deep for software engineers—I’ve been there, even after landing roles at Google and Uber. Here’s how this fear shows up and how to stop it from holding you back. • Not asking questions Fear of looking uninformed makes you avoid asking questions. This blocks learning and leads to costly assumptions. ✅ Shift: Approach questions as a way to add value, not expose gaps. • Never saying no Trying to handle everything yourself without pushing back spreads you too thin and leads to burnout. ✅ Shift: Define your boundaries. Learn to say no constructively by explaining the impact on your other responsibilities. This is a respected skill, not a weakness. • Avoiding asking for help Thinking you should solve everything alone? You’ll end up wasting time on things others can support you with. ✅ Shift: Asking for help is a strength. It saves time, increases collaboration, and helps  you bond with your colleagues. • Over-preparing When you feel the need to be 100% sure before starting something, it slows you down and keeps you from learning on the job. ✅ Shift: Start before you feel ready. You don’t need to know everything to get moving; learning as you go is part of the process. • Doing it all yourself Thinking you have to be the one who knows and does everything keeps you from delegating or collaborating. ✅ Shift: Lean on others’ expertise when it makes sense. This not only makes projects stronger but also shows you trust and respect your teammates. Each of these shifts can help break the habit of prioritizing appearances over actual growth, which is important no matter your seniority level. Which one resonates with you the most? What else would you add? ♻️ Please repost if you found this useful ✍🏻 If you enjoyed this post, you'll find even more value in my weekly newsletter https://lnkd.in/grt-bbZn

From being the first Black woman at IBM to be sent overseas in an executive role to now serving on Fortune 500 boards, my journey has been full of wins, but also challenges. Those obstacles not only made me more resilient, but they also taught me the power of compartmentalization. Compartmentalization allowed me to acknowledge setbacks without letting them consume me. It helped me focus on what I could control, keep moving forward, and maintain perspective even during difficult times. This becomes especially important when you're leading a team. People often look to you to understand how they should react to a situation. If your emotions fluctuate dramatically, your team will often amplify those emotions. If you appear overly concerned or stuck on a problem, your team is likely to feel even more anxious. Strong leaders learn how to address a situation, process it, and then shift their attention to the next priority without carrying the emotional weight of one challenge into every other aspect of their work. Personally, I use a simple mental model. When I need to set something aside temporarily, I visualize opening a bucket, placing the issue inside, and putting the lid on it. I know I'll return to it later when it's the appropriate time to focus on it again. The technique doesn't matter as much as finding a method that works for you. Without some form of compartmentalization, stress can become overwhelming. And when stress levels rise, decision-making quality tends to decline. The ability to manage your focus and emotions effectively is an important leadership skill that benefits both you and the people around you. Compartmentalization isn't about ignoring problems or pretending challenges don't exist. It's about recognizing them, addressing them appropriately, and not allowing them to take control of your mindset. The leaders who navigate difficult situations most effectively aren't the ones who face fewer obstacles. They're the ones who have learned how to process challenges without letting those challenges define their actions. Because leadership isn't measured by whether problems arise. It's measured by how you respond when they do.

An Insight into Managing Meeting-Intensive Days Recently, I had an enlightening 1:1 with one of our young designers. They asked, "After a day filled with back-to-back meetings, I'm exhausted. How do you handle this, given most of your days are meeting-heavy?" This scenario is common for many of us managing large teams and products. Here are some strategies I've developed to thrive when meetings dominate your schedule: 1. Mindset Shift: Recognize that meetings are work too, especially in large organizations. As a young designer, I viewed meetings as productivity thieves. Now I understand they're integral to the work process. 2. Calendar Mastery: I structure my day via my calendar, scheduling focus times, breaks, and meetings. I batch tasks and allocate them to ensure time-sensitive work gets done. 3. Pomodoro Technique: I aim for 24 pomodoros daily, equating to 12 hours of intense work. This includes writing, thinking, conversations, tasks, and team interactions. On lower-energy days, I listen to my body and adjust accordingly. 4. Micro-Breaks: Between meetings, I take 3-minute rejuvenation breaks. My toolkit includes: - Breathwork (sukha kriya, nadhi shuddi, 4-2-5-2 breathing with mudras) - Quick exercises (e.g., a set of squats) - Mindfulness practices (breath awareness meditation) - Short walks (using a walk pad or stepping outside) 5. Deep Listening: During meetings, I practice full engagement without multitasking. If a meeting doesn't align with my priorities, I respectfully decline or leave, communicating my reasons authentically. 6. Efficient Follow-up: I rarely revisit recordings, treating them as equivalent to attending meetings. When necessary, I schedule dedicated time for this. 7. Comprehensive Note-taking: I document discussions systematically, which helps track learning and identify recurring themes for myself and others. 8. Operational Rigor: I maintain high standards in self-management and task execution. This operational excellence keeps work flowing smoothly and maintains quality. These practices have transformed how I navigate meeting-intensive days, balancing productivity with well-being. What strategies do you employ to manage your energy during meeting-heavy periods? I'd love to hear your insights! #workdesign

If you want to stay positive at work, read this carefully. Here are 7 daily practices that actually work in high-pressure jobs: 1. End-day reflection → list 3 things that went well. 2. Set clear work boundaries → no emails after specific hours. 3. Take 2-minute breathers every hour → step away from your desk. 4. Time-block your tasks → reduces overwhelm and increases focus. 5. Practice active acknowledgment → note 3 wins daily, no matter how small. 6. Use the "pause technique" → count to 5 before reacting to stressful situations. 7. Start with a 10-minute morning routine → meditation, gratitude list, or quick stretching. I've tested these extensively, and here's what I noticed: • Consistency matters more than perfection • Better boundaries = better performance • Your energy affects your entire team • Small actions compound over time The key is starting small. Don't try all 7 at once. Pick 2-3 practices and stick to them for 21 days. Then add more gradually. These aren't just "nice to have" - they're essential for long-term success in demanding roles. Keep showing up. Stay consistent. (Share this with your team) P.S. Which practice will you try first? Let me know below.

Personal and professional development is seriously limited when mindfulness is missing. Mindfulness is not simply meditation; it's not zoning out; it's not passive and it's not only for relaxation. It IS about focusing on one thing at a time, being aware of what is happening around you and recognizing and accepting your thoughts and emotions. Here's a guide to start you off: 1️⃣ Start Your Day with Intentions: Before diving into tasks, take 2 minutes to set a clear intention for your workday—what you want to achieve and how you want to feel as you do it. 2️⃣ Use Task Transitions as Mindful Moments: Before switching between tasks or meetings, take a deep breath and consciously pause for a few seconds to reset your focus and energy. 3️⃣ Turn Off Unnecessary Notifications: Limit distractions by silencing non-essential notifications for set periods. This helps you stay present with the task at hand. 4️⃣ Practice 'Active Presence' in Meetings: Rather than thinking about what to say next, actively listen to others in meetings. Take a moment to reflect before responding. 5️⃣ Take Micro-Breaks for Clarity: Every hour, take a brief 1-minute pause. Close your eyes, focus on your breathing, or observe your surroundings to recharge. 6️⃣ Create Mindful To-Do Lists: Prioritize 3 key tasks daily, and instead of focusing on the length of your list, concentrate on the quality of your engagement with each task. 7️⃣ Single-Task, Don’t Multitask: Whenever possible, dedicate your full attention to one task at a time. It improves quality, reduces stress, and boosts overall efficiency. 8️⃣ Notice Your Body Language: Pay attention to how you're sitting or standing throughout the day. Make small adjustments to release tension and stay relaxed, which can enhance focus and well-being. 9️⃣ Mindful Emailing: Pause before hitting send. Take a deep breath, review your message, and ask yourself: “Is this clear and concise?” This can reduce miscommunication and stress. 1️⃣0️⃣ End Your Day with Reflection: Spend 5 minutes reflecting on your day’s work—what went well, what could improve—and acknowledge your efforts, no matter how small. #mindfulness #personaldevelopment #professionaldevelopment