How to manage stressful situations?

Question

Hi.

I've worked in IT, mostly as developer, besides school and full time for a couple of years now. And no matter whether the team was using an agile approach or just somehow "simply do it", mental stress seems inevitable. Every team member reacts differently to stress, some get sick more often and whatever. How to manage stress, or better avoid it, without being careless towards the project or turning unproductive and of course keeping deadlines.

So, how do you manage stress?

Answer 1

Physical exercise.

Answer 2

With Stress Relievers.

I workout at the gym after work. It helps do two things: unlock my mind, and release all the muscle stress and tension. Plus I can pretend all the cute girls are watching me lift weights.

If I am especially stressed out, I'll work on my kickboxing on a thai-bag in my garage.

Answer 3

First off, some amount of stress is good. Stress isn't always bad - there are different types of stress, and different people react differently to it.

Also, stress will always be unavoidable - if it isn't, it means the team isn't working.

That being said, a good team leader can do a lot to help. Often, it's more a matter of pairing the right developers in the right parts of a project, as well as making sure the team has the right breadth of experience and interests to fill the project space well.

If you pair people up well, you're 3/4ths of the way there. As a crude example, don't put somebody who loves working with databases into the role of designing a UI, etc. This will make people more productive, but also happier. (It's obvious, but I've seen this abused a LOT).

Also, praise and enthusiasm from management goes a long way, too. People will get stressed, if they feel appriciated, they'll get through it easier.

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From a personal note, I find that regular excersize, and personal rewards go a long way to helping me manage my own stress. Also, if I know I'm going to go reward myself with a nice dinner, or a weekend ski getaway, etc, after finishing a big project, it makes it easier to get through the project when I'm stressed out.

Answer 4

Fortunately there is a pub really close to my office so every time I feel stressed by the work I just drink a pint or two of ale.

Seriously: Sleep. Eat well. Talk to other people. Go out. Have a walk in the park. Things like that.

Answer 5

Ideally, you should never need to manage stress at all.

Stress should not be there if the project is well managed - which means the contract terms are clear with client (hourly rate vs. fixed estimate and features), and the estimates are well done and include some spare time for inevitable drawbacks (such as illness).

Stress is usually a sign of poor management and estimates - impossibility to say NO to new feature requests from the client and not considering programmers are just human beings, not robots.

Answer 6

Stress is one of those things you either "deal with" or "get rid of".

Lots of people take up smoking ( which I highly think is pretty dumb ) or drink coffee. The only way to solve the problem is get rid of the factors that cause it.

"without being careless towards the project or turning unproductive and of course keeping deadlines."

A reasonable amount of stress is expected. But keep in mind, if you put your workers second, stress will escalate, and then the project will burn.

If the stress is too much, your team will up and quit, and/or have mental breakdowns where they become heaps on the floor spazzing out.

Been There. Trust me. Not Pretty.

Answer 7

Don't get too involved. Keep perspective. Realize that there is more in life than the project your are working on. Keeping some form of distance actually enables you to make smarter decisions and show more commitment, and it reduces overall stress.

Answer 8

• Take a step back and realize that the world will not crumble if you are late on something
• Talk frankly with your project manager and tell him exactly what to expect from you and why
• Frequent breaks where you aren't doing anything on the computer
• Quit drinking so much coffee/caffeine
• Learn meditation, breathing techniques, and stretching (this book rocks)
• Hard, physical exercise
• If it gets really bad, restructure your thoughts using Cognitive Behavioral therapy. I can personally attest that this worked on my anxiety.

Answer 9

Thank you. Every answer was useful to me, so I will not comment on all of them. :) I also found a similar question with a lot of useful answers, unfortunately just right now ;) here

Answer 10

• Reduce stress

  • Keep a positive attitude
  • Accept that you can't control/change some things
  • Assert yourself - don't react, become angry, defensive or passive - but assert your feelings, opinions, beliefs
  • Organize and de-clutter your life - not just physical things, but activities and other demands on your time
  • Learn time management - instead of reacting to requirements, put processes in place that automatically deal with them next time, or reduce the amount of work needed
  • Delegate
  • Make sure you understand the work required - often you may be doing more than what's needed because you don't understand the problem

• Work out

  • Exercise regularly - at least 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise 3+ times a week minimum
  • Try to fit in fitness activities daily, incorporating them into your normal schedule (use the stairs, park further away, get up and walk around the office a few times a day, etc)

• Eat right

  • Healthy, well-balanced meals
  • Don't rely on alcohol or drugs to reduce stress
  • Don't indulge in comfort food when under stress
  • Don't skip meals

• Relax

  • Seek out social support
  • Learn and practice relaxation techniques (Yoga, meditation, quiet walks, etc)
  • Get enough rest and sleep
  • Recharge with naps
  • Set aside playtime for yourself - don't overdo it, and schedule it so it doesn't interfere with your other activities (causing more stress) - but don't exclude it as non-productive time

Answer 11

Slowing down to the speed of life is a good book for you to read. There's a chapter on stress which is pretty well-written. It talks about how stress only exists in your thoughts, so if you are not thinking about stressful things, there will be no stress. And, since you are the only one who controls what you think, you can see how easy it can be to eliminate stress.