Engulfed in Drama, Stress? Follow these 3 steps to reduce stress and eliminate conflicts:
Let’s face it, with life moving at a pace we can’t handle, people often aren’t aware of the stress that torments them, and they forget to think about the cause of their stress, let alone do anything to reduce it. Reducing conflicts in your life will improve awareness of your surroundings, and communication agility ultimately reduce stress. Let’s go over three steps that anybody can take in order to diminish conflicts:
1. Start with yourself first.
You can’t possibly expect anyone to change and treat you better if you can’t be polite & understanding in the first place. Take a look at the way you conduct yourself around others.
Are you polite? Being polite is the bread and butter behind the art of getting along with others, even during the worst situations.
Do you raise your voice in distress? Keeping the right tone of voice can make a major difference in helping your side come across. When emotions like anger are involved, your true feelings and thoughts don’t reach the person on the other end in the way you want, leading to a misunderstanding and increasing your stress.
Are you a good listener? Being calm and not caring about what others have to say will simply make you look like a person who doesn’t care, and frankly, you are portrayed as a rude person.. You must only listen to what others say. You have to treat whatever they say as valid for the moment even if it doesn’t make sense. Try to relate to their problem, understand it and ask them to do the same in return.
These are the baby steps to resolving differences. You must be willing to do all of these things before expecting others to change.
2. Know when to back off.
Sometimes, the best option is to do whatever it takes to avoid conflicts. You’re trying to reduce stress, which is why you have to cut your losses when it comes to preserving your health. Your gut feeling tells you that any further interactions from this point on will escalate the conflict. You have to know when to back off and maybe come back to discussion at a later time, when both parties have calmed down. Find your way out (go elsewhere for the moment if you have to). Reschedule another time to talk. If the person is insignificant or a stranger, walking away might do the trick.
3. Take preventative measures.
It all starts with being a good listener. Take time to learn something about that individual. Interact when there is no tension in the air. It may be your oldest friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse. But not knowing enough about them will further the distance between you two. Just because you know about their past doesn’t mean you are up to date with their current events. Knowledge eliminates anxiety and prevents stress. Be involved and inquire about their life.
Discuss your past conflicts with them and express that you do not want to fight. That you don’t want to raise your voice and talk in distress. Expressing and explaining yourself will make the other person understand what you expect in interaction and likely to improve the way they treat you.
In a perfect world, addressing everything discussed in this article would alleviate all of your conflicts. A more complex problem may require the help of a professional. Turning to a therapist has helped many, so look into this option as a last resort.
Invaluable knowledge can be gained from overcoming a stressful situation. But it is only as useful as how you will apply that gained knowledge towards the future, and how you would avoid such situations in the future.