As you go through your day, if you're anything like me, you'll notice that things come into your world that might bother you or worry you and add stress to a previously perfect day. You might have been having a great day, and suddenly you're catapulted into a world of worry that you can't seem to get your head round. Perhaps you've had a call from the school, or maybe you have a looming deadline. Whatever the cause, here's a quick tip for trying to quickly rid your mind of stress, by following the 'Brush It Off' technique.
Simply put, this speedy tactic for dealing with stressors that arise, is based upon a quick triage or risk assessment of the situation. By spending just a brief moment considering the stress that's worrying you, your mind feels clearer; a bit like a mental to do list.

Take some deep breaths and declutter your mind. Photo: Archbob, FreePhotosBank.com
Here are few steps towards a clearer, stress free mind:
B.R.U.S.H it Off
1) Can you
Bear with it?
If you can, then resolve to deal with it later and go about your day as you were. If you can't bear with the issue that arisen, then take a moment to think about whether you can solve the issue now, and if you can't then make a plan for how you will deal with the situation later.
2)
Reduce your stress level.
If it's an urgent issue (e.g. a crisis), then you'll deal with it right away and stress will peak during the emergency and then dissipate once the issue is resolved. However, many situations that arise simply aren't ones that can be dealt with in the present moment and it's more appropriate to 'park' your stress levels and the problem and deal with it at the right time.
3) What are you
Upset about? If you're upset and feeling emotional about something that has happened, then think about what is actually upsetting you. Sometimes rationalising the issue can also resolve it. Some things that upset us are simply our sensibilities blowing it out of proportion.
4)
Solve it.
If it's a stress or worry that you can solve quickly (less than 10 minutes) then take the time out to resolve it now whilst you're in the moment. An issue that can be solved quickly and easily, frees your mind from the worry of having a problem hanging around taking up space.
5)
Halve it.
Finally, if by thinking about your stress or a worry that's crept up on you in your day still leaves you feeling like you don't know how to begin to solve it, then halve your worries and share the problem with a friend. Sometimes just talking about an issue can make a remedy come to the surface and make quick work of an issue.
Next time you have a stress or worry interrupting your day take a few minutes out of time to 'Brush it Off' and mentally free up some space in your mind.
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#Stress Management