How to reduce stress if work is on fire and you are tired

In August, Bombora published a book for those who want to take on the most difficult projects and get things done without fear - Easy and Simple. How to cope with tasks that are scary to approach”Timur Zarudny and Sergey Zhdanov. The life hacker publishes Chapter 15, Avoiding Stress from Blockages.

No matter how well I set up the system, sooner or later I go astray: the work is criticized and it becomes scary to start, an emergency happens, I forget about cultivating habits, nothing makes me happy and I want to start something new. I often gave up my beginnings precisely because of this - because of the difficulties that the chaos of world impermanence brings.

I noticed that this happens in two scenarios: either an internal tension appears, or there is no longer enough internal fuel.

Tension arises when you are overwhelmed with information and deeds:

there are many projects that need to be completed urgently - today;
it seems that you are sure to impose, if shortly before that you heard harsh criticism;
tired, you really want to send everything to hell, but for some reason you feel like a hostage to the situation and continue to endure.

Fuel runs out when you are used to acting out of an urgent need, but at the moment it is not, and the need to do disappears. There is no energy - it worries, but not to such an extent as to collect, take and do:

went to freelance and the need to go to work early disappeared - you get up late and feel overwhelmed;
the project is done for itself, and it does not have a clear deadline - let it lie down;
did not understand the benefits of learning a new language - every time you put it off.

In this chapter, we'll talk about what to do with stress. The next one is about lack of fuel and boredom.

Where does the tension come from

Sometimes it's all about the loss of meaning: the daily challenges are overwhelming, and I can't imagine the big picture in my head. Sometimes I don’t know where to start, and it seems big and super complicated. In the first chapter, we looked at how to deal with this:

describe the problem as it is;
re-read the plate that will remind you why all this was started;
think about how you can simplify the project.

But all this will not work if there is no strength. The wheels are spinning, but the car does not go - it stalled. This is tension. Now is the time to think again about the brain and the amygdala.

This very tension is born in the amygdala - the paired structure of the brain, which is the center of pain and helps to remember behavior during negative experiences in order to avoid it in the future.

The amygdala is like a panic button that turns on in any situation associated with pain and suffering. This is good because we learn not to repeat mistakes, but sometimes the mechanism breaks down.

Sometimes this happens when we are tired: there are enemies around, but in our thoughts it is negative, because they are influenced by the context and state. Unpleasant thoughts re-excite the amygdala, are recorded in long-term memory, and come back as new unpleasant thoughts. The circle is closed, there is no way out, there is no one to look from the outside.

In this state, the algorithm from the first chapter will not work, because everything is infuriating and you don't want to deal with the signs and use - even that is difficult. If you force yourself to wade through affairs and plans, then, most likely, everything will become worse and more difficult: the freedom-loving brain does not like coercion.

Therefore, I follow the precepts of Bruce Lee and do not train in bad shape, so as not to develop bad habits. Instead, I reboot.

Sometimes depressive conditions happen on cloudy days. Previously, this was explained by the high level of the hormone melatonin, which is released when there is little light, and therefore you want to sleep. But in December 2018, two new studies emerged that say it's more of a special brain circuit that connects light-sensitive cells in the retina to areas of the brain that affect mood. Be that as it may, the conclusion is still the same: little light - turn on the lamps.

It's time to figure out what might work.

Stop doing what you did

As soon as I realize that I'm stuck and everything pisses me off, the first thing I do is stop pushing myself and change the situation. This is to get rid of negative thoughts that form the context of perception. I just stop following the plan and do the opposite.

To crush	Reboot
Discovering myself in social networks - trying to forcefully return attention to work.	I close my laptop, get up from the table, make tea and go to look out the window.
I planned to do 3D modeling, but after work I don't really want to - I sit through strength.	I take a break and go jogging.
I overslept the alarm clock - I am furious that all morning passed by.	I focus on morning rituals to get in shape - that is, that is.

Breaking out of the current action is difficult at first. For example, I noticed that it is hard for me to break away from work if I have not yet reached the logical point (I have not finished writing a meaningful paragraph) or music is playing in the headphones (the song is not over - it is too early to interrupt). But it's an important skill worth learning: it helps you shift quickly and shorten braking distances.

I have a rule: as soon as the case ends, do not immediately rush to the next one, but set the alarm for 15 minutes and do nothing.

I used to try to follow my breathing or sit in silence, but then I realized that I had to give up the activity altogether - just sit and look in front of me. This is a good technique for reducing anxiety - I'll come back to it later.

I am knocked out of a rut by driving training in the city. Heavy traffic, nervous instructor, lots of distraction. If driving in the morning, it is difficult to get into work immediately after class. Therefore, I am in no hurry: I came to work - I ate, read, slept for 20 minutes, only after the battle. Better to collect yourself for an hour than to sit at work in a wild discord and rage.

Listen to yourself and understand what you want. It is important to understand: you can always drop everything and renegotiate. To work in sweat and blood with the hope that you will rake and happiness will come is nonsense. It's like scooping water out of a leaking boat with a leaky mug. Everyone understands this rationally, but it is very difficult to overpower your impulses.

Reduce detail

If you cannot tear yourself away and make tea, lower the level of detail: close your eyes for 30 seconds, get up and sit down immediately, turn off the music.

When an internal storm begins, it helps me to reduce the amount of incoming information and requirements for myself. This is a repetition of the story that sometimes all but one case needs to be rescheduled. It happens, it's normal.

It's also useful to focus less on plans. I chose three projects for a week, and I am engaged in them. I wanted and was going to do something else - I will choose these classes in the next one. It is also important to lower expectations and give yourself the opportunity to correct in time. So that mistakes are not perceived as something critical and irreparable.

I wrote the course in two steps: a draft for the test group and a clean copy for the main one. In a draft, I can write raw, use simple phrases and not go into explanations - no problems, it's not scary to make a mistake. When I send it and it passes the first check, I will have enough strength and energy to bring everything to a readable state: it has already been checked for nonsense and errors. The beauty.

The main thing is to start moving and enjoy it. The further, the more confident.

Observe thoughts and actions

Memorize states that correspond to calm perception and inadequacy. I observed myself and divided my behavior into two types: when I am on fire and when I am calm and orderly.

On fire	Calm
I try to overcome the problem with a swoop	I alternate between work and rest
Distracted by stimuli: I can get up early and sit down for a laptop, but freeze in social networks for an hour	I don’t start work without understanding the task: I don’t understand - I didn’t start
I get hung up on what will happen if I don't have time	I'm completely in the process and not distracted

If I am on fire, but I try to reproduce actions characteristic of calm perception, then I gradually come to a neutral state. This is an amazing thing that often saves me. And it works best after 15 minutes of doing nothing.

Another cool trick that helps you emerge from the mental pool and help your internal attention switch is see-hear-feel. The point is to look in front of you, register all incoming information and put it on the shelves:

a car has passed - I hear;
a prickle in the shoulder - I feel it;
the smell of fried potatoes flew - I feel;
a bird flew by in front of the window - I see;
a birch branch swayed - I see.

It helps to shift attention from the context of tension and inner thoughts to what is happening outside. It helps.

Convince yourself that this is not fear, but excitement

It sounds silly, but it works because both senses have the same fuel - the hormone cortisol. It is released in response to stress and activates the sympathetic nervous system: it speeds up the heart, muscles tense - and now you are ready to fight. To convince myself, I just say: "Dude, you are not afraid, you are pounding with anticipation of what cool thing you are about to release."

It seems to us that stress is a dangerous enemy, but in reality everything is a little different.

Stress really worsens health and triggers illness, but only if a person is afraid and expects it.

A University of Wisconsin study found that stress is not dangerous, but the belief that it is dangerous. If you change the attitude towards stressful situations, then the body will react differently.

This technique helps you deal with the pressure before turning in a serious project, in which I have done terrible shoals before. If the fear of failure is stronger and the excitement is not provoked, I try to change the internal state by direct influence: to run or take a contrast shower. It charges with a portion of endorphins and helps not to slip into depressive thoughts.

If the technique works, it is important not to burn out and work cyclically. To do this, I turn on a timer: it returns to reality and makes it interrupt. It's like a long run: if you throw out all your energy at the start, you will quickly run out of steam.

Do nothing at all

A great way to reduce internal stress. I set up a timer for 15 minutes and do nothing: I don’t read books, I don’t flip through social networks, I don’t meditate and I don’t monitor my breathing. I just sit or lie and try not to react to the urge to run somewhere.

This works because you don't need to take any action - except, in fact, setting the timer. 15 minutes is not such a long time, so as not to find time for such a pause.

The main thing here is to catch inner relaxation. In this state, the network of the passive mode of the brain is turned on, which is needed for the brain to communicate with itself. This is essential for compiling disparate data into ideas or desires. This usually happens when you are lying under a tree on a sunny day, sitting on a bench, or looking out the window. You've probably experienced this. Newton is so accurate.

Sit back, relax and chat with friends

It is useful to learn to relax and limit yourself in information: do not read the news, look less on social networks, do not talk in vain. It is clear about news and social networks: they play on our need to pay attention to everything new and scary, and therefore they disturb. And not to chatter means to speak only when you want to, and not to support the conversation or not seem like a beech.

There is nothing to talk about - keep quiet. Stop feeding your neuroses.

Instead of news and idle chatter, it's better to hang out with friends and cuddle more - it's all oxytocin, which adds pleasure to life. Once a week, it is useful to have a digital detox: turn off your Wi-Fi router and replace your usual digital instruments with analog ones. Electronic book - paper, player - player with records or cassettes. All this helps to establish a connection with oneself, reduce stress levels and enjoy observing ordinary things.

Timur Zarudny, editor and director, and Sergey Zhdanov, designer of educational programs at FEFU, tell how to work on several projects at once, what to do if you are close to burnout, how to understand that it is time to pause and not lose motivation to complete the job. The theory is supported by scientific research and explained with examples from the personal experience of the authors.