“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” – Chuck Swindoll
Have you watched the movie Angry Birds? A small red guy with huge eyebrows ends up in anger management therapy after destroying a birthday (by throwing the cake in a customer’s face and helping with the birth of a new kid by falling on the egg). In front of the shrink’s house, he gets into a fight with a scarecrow (a wooden one, moved by wind) and breaks it to pieces, while some kid and mother bird are watching, astounded. If you often feel like this guy, I want to share with you a few effective ways to manage stress, long-term.
Working on a cruise ship and travelling around the world is a great combination. A few thousand people from all parts of the world sail together and have fun. You meet many interesting people and create a lot of new connections. This can create a lot of different future opportunities for you.
Do not get me wrong; I am not saying that it is an easy job, or that is for everyone. The crew is working their ass off to keep the ship safe and the guests happy. Before you come to work on the cruise ship, you see only pictures of crazy parties or exotic beach pictures posted on Facebook. That is one side of the coin. The other side of coin is different for everyone, depending on the job, but it is far from easy.
Excursions, shows, restaurants, and much more are happening 24/7. There is also a lot to do in your free time, on and off the ship: beaches, shopping, local restaurants, gym, parties, and more. But without a balance of work, rest, and fun, stress can easily accumulate and ruin everything.
To stay at the party or to go to sleep is a choice you have to make daily. Slipping into an exhausting routine of “socializing” too much happens to every new hire. If you do not jump out of that circle, you will soon become like a numb zombie just trying to survive the day. This way, you will be stuck at the same job forever untill you resign (or get fired), exhausted and frustrated. Nobody wants that, but it happens all the time.
The stress loop looks like this:
Yesterday you were at an all-crew party. The music was great, cocktails even better, and you had a great time. You feel exhausted today, but who cares? You suck it up, put on your smile, and go to work.
New evening comes. Your body is craving rest, but you decide to take one beer in the crew bar, only one and then straight to bed. You know the rest… You have been sucked into the vicious circle. Evening is fun, mornings are hell. Drinking too much coffee to survive the days makes things worse. In the long term, your health, work, and life suffer. It is not fun anymore. The only way to break the bad spell is to change your routine.
Completely wrong approach to stress
When people talk about stress, they think only about mental stress. Mental stress is a consequence, not a cause. The first thing that happens is physical stress. Without a break, your body fights with the junk you put into it (bad food, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, medications, caffeine, sugar, etc.). The greater the amount of these things, the more intense the physical stress.
Mental stress happens as a consequence of all that. Every little thing makes you overreact. You are already stressed out without even being aware of it. When you wake up broken in pieces, you can hardly expect to be productive and satisfied that day. Feeding fatigue with caffeine makes things worse.
In the long run, you will eliminate stress only by improving the ratio of good versus bad things that you feed into your body and mind. Feed your mind with creativity. Stop negative thoughts as soon as they start, or they will quickly drain your energy and ruin your day.
Stress is the main reason for bad health and poor communication. It makes you overreact. Different things happen in your body when you are under stress versus when you feel good. There is no kid, boss, or traffic jam that can easily make you crazy when you improve your habits and get some good rest.
Sleeping properly, spending time in nature, exercising, walking, laughing, hanging out with optimistic people, reading good books, and watching inspiring content are all effective ways to boost your energy and reduce stress. Make these things an essential part of your day.
Your body is your means of transportation through life. If you do not take care of it, it will give up on you eventually. When that happens, you will just want to be healthy and feel good again. Everything else will be less important.
What you can do to neutralize stress instantly:
The most useful and straightforward way, but sometimes the hardest when you are stressed out, is to redirect your thoughts to the positive things. Next time you are stressed out, try some of the things mentioned below and find out what works for you.
-Take a look at the happy moments with your family, or watch some funny video clips. Create a folder with your favorite pictures and videos. Laughter and positive emotions will quickly lift your mood and turn your thoughts in another direction.
-Take a walk or exercise, even for just five minutes (stretching, sit-ups, pushups, planks, or anything that you prefer).
-Talk with optimistic people; their positive energy will spread onto you.
-Read a chapter of your favorite book (or a comic book). Keep them in your smartphone (you can use pdf books or install the Kindle app).
-Take a nap.
-Assist somebody even for a few minutes; helping others will make you feel great.
-Meditate for five or ten minutes. Just sit on a chair with your back straight and knees at 90 degrees. Breathe slowly with your eyes closed, and try not to think about anything. I got this idea from the book 10% Happier by Dan Harris. To stop thinking is harder than it sounds 🙂
10 things you can do to eliminate stress long term:
Sleep enough.
Prioritize important people in your life.
Exercise regularly (a one-hour walk daily will do).
Hang out around creative and optimistic people.
Free up more time for the important things (decrease time spent watching TV, social networks, phone calls, e-mails).
In the end:
When you are under a lot of stress, jumping out of the vicious cycle seems hard, but it is really not like that. Replacing only one bad ritual with one good one will change everything. Skip the drink, TV, or anything that holds you back. Put on your sneakers, turn on your mp3 player, and go out for a walk. See what works best for you and make it part of your daily routine.
Don’t forget to get your free audiobook, as well as the accompanying checklists that will help you get going. Set your goals, fill in the checklists, and take the first step. If you need support or you just want to share your ideas with others, join the Long-Term Habits group. Everything is easier in a group of like-minded people.
Links:
- Free downloads: PDF and the audiobook Fulfilling Life: A matter of Personal Choice with all the accompanying checklists you need to get started
- Great Books for a Great Life – all the answers to your questions in one place
“In order to write about life, first you must live it.”– Ernest Hemingway