Stress get you down? Don’t let it keep you down.

Have you ever been at your computer going over meeting notes or shipping addresses or invoices and noticed a huge error? The workday is long over, the world is asleep and there’s nobody awake but you. And still, you have looking you right in the face a mistake that can’t be corrected or even addressed for hours. Sure, it would be sensible to realize there’s nothing that can be done. You might as well get your sleep. You might as well leave it until the morning.

But that’s not what happens, does it? What happens is stress. It builds up as you mini-panic, ruffling through your papers or computer files … hoping you’d been mistaken about the mistake. No, you confirm the error, and that helpless feeling sinks in.

There are many other scenarios that can bring on the same feeling. The bank account’s simply not going to have enough in there when the mortgage is due. Perhaps the family pet’s just not going to pull through, and it’s time to have the life-and-death talk with junior. Maybe it’s time for cutbacks at work, and you’re the new guy.

Whatever the scene, it’s the same sense of hopelessness … the helplessness. It’s a feeling that no one seems to be able to handle all that well, but men seem to just take to it a little worse (or at least more openly) than their female counterparts. Being able to control their surroundings — being king of their jungle — is key to being able to function for men.

When that control is taken away and the stress mounts: How do you handle it? Keep reading for 10 tips on how to handle your sudden-onset stress. From calming down to getting refocused on the task that started it all in the first place, The Man F.A.Q.’s stress knockouts will no doubt serve you well.

—

Handle your stress, Part 2: Deal with it immediately | | Handle your stress, Part 3: Deal with it long-term