6 Ways to Reduce Stress Before an Event

Event planning and execution process is a long-term effort with its rising stress level. By the end of your preparations and just before the start of your event your stress level may reach its peak. While your boss says, it was the show time, you may feel as if you're going to die in a few minutes, because of nausea, sweating or trembling as a result of stressful days spent to be successful in this couple of days long but once in every two-year unmissable opportunity. Somewhat, Monday syndrome like symptoms such as fatigue, lack of sleep, muscle tension and headaches, loss of interest in work and/or social life may ruin your enthusiasm and may turn your first day in the event into a nightmare.

Don't be hopeless. There are well-tried remedies to cope up with your stress and those remedies may easily turn your nightmares into a success story.

1. Get organized and make a travel plan

As an event planner; you should plan your travel by adding a list of items you will be in need or responsible to carry to event venue, so that, you don't forget anything at home or in the office. That makes a great deal of stress and even it may cause a little quarrel with your friends, which will give you additional stress and bad feelings. So, discuss what you need during the event with your colleagues and make a concise and clear travel plan. If you are the manager of a group of people, make sure you tasked each person to share the burden and prepare a check list to understand if they are item to be carried to event scene. Give deadlines for preparations and check each item one by one before the travel starts. Make another list for your personal needs and make sure to include your pills if you use any.

2. Be on the event venue a day earlier

Some may consider accommodation costs but, being on the scene earlier gives you enough time to be prepared earlier and reduce the risks. You may learn many things before the event starts and feel much more confident. You may adapt yourself to the new environment and learn many useful details such as location of your hotel or event venue, how to travel in between or where to eat your meals. Besides, you may spend some hours resting in your hotel and get rid of jet lag. Otherwise, all these sorts of little problems may easily keep your mind busy and prevent you to focus on the event. As a result, your stress goes up and gives you nothing but headache.

3. Last preparations before sleep

Prepare your clothes, your wallet, cell phone, car keys, computer and your badge before go to sleep, thus do not lose time or panic in the morning after lost items. Try to go to bed earlier and do not rely on alcohol, drugs, or compulsive behaviors to reduce your stress.

Especially refrain from a hangover in the morning. Do not forget to set your alarm clock for a well calculated wake up time, so that you can take a shower and have a good breakfast. And as a last reminder don't forget to plug in your mobile devices like cell phone or tablet for charging before sleep.

4. Wake up early in the morning

Start your day with a short stretching session and if you like make some yoga exercise in the morning then take a shower. That will ease your bodily tension and help to reduce your stress a lot. Dress up and make sure you took all your needs with you before leaving for breakfast.

Make a decent breakfast but refrain from a heavy one. Fruit juices may provide your daily energy and vitamin needs. Try not to sit around the breakfast table until last minute and leave your hotel earlier. Because you never know what happens in the morning traffic of a city like Istanbul or Calcutta. It's always best to use subway if there is a line from your hotel area to event venue. If you rent a car, make sure you made a road recce the day before the event and have a city road map with you.

5. Keep smile and be friendly at the event venue

Try to keep calm and don't forget to smile. Language may be a problem up to a degree but don't give up. Try to communicate with people by any means or try to employ local interpreters. During the event make sure you take notes about what you heard and what you promised, record your interviews with others and get their business cards if possible. Don't forget, you will make a hot wash up back in the hotel with your colleagues and your notes will be your fuel and that will decrease your stress as well

6. Accept That Not Everything Will Go as Planned*

Events create many side effects, both positive and negative, that we never recognize during their preparation or execution phases. Event organizers and participants usually focus only on event activities, so that, they cannot recognize how those events also affect surrounding community and area as well or they just do not care. Events, either small or big, have always side effects in the area where they were organized, never planned or intended before and most of the time larger than imagined. Preparing yourself for the worst possible outcomes will be good solution. Do not blame yourself for things that not go with a swing.