Now, more than ever, you may feel like your stress bucket is overflowing. The ‘stress bucket’ is a common analogy used to depict the state of one’s mental health. If you have a lot of burden in your life, your bucket fills to the brim. Stress relievers, many of which have been taken away by the pandemic, are what allow us to let some of that water out. The fuller your bucket, the more likely you are to struggle with your daily mood, irritation, sleep and self-confidence.

And as we embark on the fifteenth month of this pandemic, on the upswing of a third wave, the water tap over your bucket may feel more like a waterfall. There is hope to be had, however, as vaccinations roll out and we eagerly await a post-pandemic world.

Right now, let’s look at alleviating some of the stress we feel when faced with a difficult decision. Even seemingly mediocre decisions in our daily lives now can induce anxiety, as we think about how our actions might affect others in this increasingly interdependent pandemic world.

But tension can be minimized when we have tools at our disposal that help us make choices. Whether it’s a last-minute decision about your post-work activities or a large-scale issue that will affect your workplace and colleagues, having a method to come to a decision helps ease some of the stress, especially when the decision itself is a moral one that will help you sleep at night.

Once we make decisions, we often spend time mulling over whether we did the right thing. Putting this mental energy to work in an ethical pre decision-making process is far better for our mental health and the community affected by our choice. People who learn how to process situations, analyze potential outcomes, and have the courage to take the ethical path are often left feeling a lot lighter. No water is added to their buckets.

Now, the size of every person’s bucket is different, based on their personality and life experiences. Some people have learned to handle greater loads of stress than others. Some are more equipped to engage in unwinding activities. But regardless of individual stress management style, we all can learn the tools we need to make ethical decisions, thereby removing water from our stress buckets.

The Better Business Bureau Foundation (BBBF) has formulated a program that aims to do just that. LIFT helps students and adults learn the skills to navigate through decision-making processes in a way that helps them and those around them.

For more information on the BBBF’s Ethics Certificate program, contact BBB Education Foundation at [email protected].