Before we dive in: my free consultation spots are filling up fast. If you’ve been on the fence about talking with a coach to improve your health and lower your stress, reserve your spot here before they fill up.
Cool? Cool. Let’s get to today’s tips.
I was chatting with my friend Lizzie the other week when she asked me if I had any tips on how to effectively manage stress. (If you’re interested in public speaking, check her out at Unscripted Speech).
Specifically, she was interested in reducing stress during high-pressure moments, like public speaking.
If you work in tech, marketing, or sales, this is probably pretty relatable.
Hell, at Google, I regularly present to rooms of 10-20 people, and I once co-hosted a conference where I spoke to over 800 people at once!
How can we better manage our stress in these scenarios?
In my experience, it starts way before you begin clearing your throat and grabbing your speaker notes. In my coaching practice, this is called the “thing before the thing”.
You THINK you need tips or tricks in the moment to accomplish something, but in reality, it’s the sum of things that came BEFORE it that make it possible.
In the case of managing your stress – whether for life in general or up on stage – the “things before the thing” are what I help people do consistently to improve their health:
Sleep
Nutrition
Movement and Exercise
Active Stress Management
Here’s how you can use these things to better manage your stress:
Sleep
Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, or a daily nap if that isn’t possible. This is the MOST important thing that can help you lower your stress and perform better, whether that’s in the gym or in a presentation.
Nutrition
Eating mostly whole, minimally-processed foods – including lots of lean protein, veggies, fruits, and whole grains – with each meal. Along with sleep, a healthy diet helps fuel your body and brain to perform well.
Movement and Exercise
This includes activities like strength training and cardio, as well as moving more overall: going for walks, stretching, playing sports, and taking the stairs. Movement not only helps get us fitter – it also improves our brain health, learning and memory capabilities, and lowers our stress.
Active Stress Management
Sleep is the ultimate recovery and stress management tool we have, but there’s more we can do: meditation, social connection, hobbies, gratitude, and maintaining healthy boundaries at work and in your social life all help keep our stress in check.
If you practice the above 4 areas consistently, you’ll build the resilience to nail whatever life throws at you, whether that’s a hard workout, a high workload, or a big presentation.
And if you’re struggling to do these stress management practices consistently and need some help, reply to this email telling me which one you wanna work on and let’s get you feeling better together.
Love you lots – have a great weekend!
Ian
P.S. Need help reducing your stress? I’m currently offering free, 30 minute consultations to help you build habits for a healthier, more balanced and productive lifestyle. Reserve your spot here before they fill up.
Ian Estabrook 