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How Implementing The 4 A’s Can Help Reduce Stress

by | Oct 23, 2018 | Emotional Wellbeing, Employee Wellbeing, Mental wellbeing, Mindfulness, Stress Management, Wellbeing at Work, Workplace Stress

femail office worker massaging her temples whilst sitting at her desk showing that she is stressedng that she

Earlier this week we posted Tenfold’s article* with useful stress-busting techniques aimed at sales people. We really liked the coping strategies they featured, from stress management experts at the Mayo Clinic known as the ‘Four A’s’. Taking inspiration from the article we’ve come up with our own examples, of how to Alter, Avoid, Accept and Adapt when faced with stressful situations. We hope you find them useful. 

  1. Alter: Sometimes the best solution is to change the situation. For example when you simply have too much to do – an overloaded schedule that is causing you stress and is likely to hinder your productivity – then make changes. Stop, re-evaluate and either cancel or re-schedule appointments, and delegate tasks.
  2. Avoid: Often it helps to take a moment to think about the reason why a situation is stressful. If you attend a particular networking meeting and dread going each time it comes round – ask yourself why it’s not working? Does it not have the potential to offer you the right contacts, or is the time really inconvenient? Make a business decision to avoid that group and instead find an alternative meeting that looks more promising.
  3. Accept: For those of us who are self-employed, there are going to be days when everything feels overwhelming and you feel isolated. At such times you’d really like to delegate certain tasks to someone else in the ‘office’. Here you have to accept there are going to be rough days and accept that some tasks you just have to get on with. Being mindful of the positives of being self-employed also helps you to accept the situation.
  4. Adapt: Getting a sudden influx of new business, whilst exciting, can be very stressful. Try not to let worrying unduly hinder your actions but instead adapt to the situation and make a plan to tackle the extra work.

I’m sure you’ll agree, stressful situations are inevitable, so having coping strategies in place such as these four A’s, will hopefully help to make things feel more manageable. Next time you’re feeling stressed, think about how you can alter, avoid, accept or adapt to help you cope better. After all, being forewarned is forearmed!

This post was inspired by Tenfold’s article which featured the Mayo Clinic’s advice on stress management using the 4 A’s. You can also read *the full article from Tenfold here.