“Tough times never last…but tough people do” ~ Dr. Robert Schuller

The title of this installment, Stress Success, may sound strange but if we could take the focus off of dealing with stress in our lives and shift it to learning from adversity – we’d all be much better off. Some people thrive on stress – while others crumble under the pressure – but most of us fall somewhere in between.

Many people ask me how to handle stress in business and even in the myriad of personal life scenarios that can influence our emotional well being – so I’ve set out to formulate certain guidelines to deal with these challenges. Integrating many of these ideas so that they become healthy habits may help us inch closer to living in a state of “flow”. That is, living your life in a state of calm, clarity and ease – and who couldn’t use more of that?

The following six tips, below, pertain to stress in the workplace. I will offer more Stress Success tips relating to our personal lives in my next installment.

1. Establish what is within your control.
When dealing with a problem at work, ask questions of others to gain clarity or understanding if needed. Increase your awareness of personal stressors and your reactions to them. Write down everything that is within the scope of your control. Then look at the list and say, “I will do what ever I can do within my control and let go of the rest”.

2. Stay in the moment.
Be aware of your thoughts. Time and energy are often wasted on the “what ifs”. Focus on the “what is” by staying in the present moment, rather than worrying about future or past events. A helpful exercise to practice staying present is to meditate or focus clearly for two to five minutes on a pleasant picture or even a screen saver – or look out a window and focus on the leaves on a tree or any form of nature while deep breathing – into the belly – not shallow “chest breathing”. This gives your mind and body a quick rest. If you suffer from acute anxiety, you can ground yourself by finding some privacy and repeating ordinary information such as your name, address and phone number.  (“My name is …”; “I live at….”; “my phone number is…”; “my favorite color is…”). Do this while breathing into the belly, slowly. I know it sounds strange but it does help even if it is only to regain some composure when you are very upset – by connecting with the logical part of the brain this technique enables you to disconnect slightly from your emotions. Another helpful practice is EFT (emotional freedom technique) – often referred to as “meridian tapping”.  You can find more information here: www.eftuniverse.com
and view a short demonstration here: www.eft-stress-relief.com

3. Now is the time to do your best work.
Stay focused.  Show initiative by asking your superiors at work what you can do to take things off of his or her plate. The more you are able to help, problem solve, take initiative, the more valuable you will be to your organization and that will be remembered when you are evaluated.  If layoffs do occur, you may be considered indispensable, due to your attitude and work ethic.

4. Take a deep breath and relax as much as possible.
Five minutes of deep breathing calms the body down considerably, allowing anxiety to subside and helps keep you grounded and centered to make the best decisions.

“Heart-Centered” Breathing Exercise: If it is possible (even if you have to lock yourself up in a public restroom stall) close your eyes and put your hand over your heart and take very deep breaths. Breathing in with your nose and out with your mouth. Imagine that you are actually breathing in and out of your heart area. (Again, be careful not to use shallow “chest breathing” as you are in a meditative state, breathing deeply and focusing on your heart). Doing this exercise for as little as two minutes helps enormously. If you can give it a little more time, then imagine that you are in your “perfect place”. This is a place that brings you great joy, peace, comfort. For me it might be laying on the beach. This exercise will yield the best results if you involve all of the senses. So in the beach scene, feel the sand on your feet, smell the salt air, hear the waves rolling in, etc. This has a way of immediately shifting your perspective and calming the body/mind.

5. Keep a journal
Make it a habit to journal two or three pages every morning (this could happen on the train to work or if one was to get up 15 minutes earlier), or at night (it will help you put worrisome thoughts to rest). Write whatever comes to mind, even if it is “I have no idea what I am going to write”. Writing is a wonderful way to release energy out of the body and clear the mind – which enables us to find creative solutions to the problems we face throughout the day.

6. Take care of self
It may seem obvious – but we need to be reminded. Good nutrition, daily exercise and adequate sleep are very important factors to combat stress. Our society has a tendency to run on a lot of caffeine and other stimulants as well as fast food that does not nourish our bodies. I advise my clients not only to eat breakfast (and not to skip any meals) but also to carry protein bars in their purses or brief cases. Be sure to choose protein bars that have an optimum amount of fiber and protein but not too much sugar or calories. The brain works on glucose and cannot function without this energy, so eating something approximately every 3 or 4 hours enables us to sustain higher energy levels. It is also important to drink an ample amount of water. If you sit all day, take frequent breaks and get up and stretch and walk around. Commit to a cardio activity at least 3 times a week – walking is accessible to everyone with the added benefit of enjoying the outdoors, weather permitting. If possible, meet with a friend for a walk/run/squash game – the physical outlet along with the camaraderie will greatly reduce tension.

Keep in mind…

The first step is to make a conscious decision to take control of stress. Commit to practicing one or more of the “stress success” tips each day. Research shows that it takes 21 days to develop a habit – at which time, new neural pathways form, making your new, healthier habits harder to break. As you become stronger and more at ease, you will be able to establish a routine that works for you – and you’ll likely look for more ways to boost your vitality and well-being.

What works for you? I’d be interested in hearing how you are able to implement healthy, calming habits into your day that help you alleviate work-related stress.

Until then…take a deep breath…

Photo Credits: image #1, image #2

Tags: heart-centered, stress, Success

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