Maxed Out, Wiped Out and Stressed Out Patti Spear Deloitte Consulting, Author Barry Blackburn Center for the Support of Families Presenter
Stressed-Out? Welcome to the Club! Of the respondents to a recent survey related to stress: 50% said that stress was affecting their health. 21% stated that stress was negatively impacting their friendships 19% said that stress was hurting their marriages. 15% said that stress was affecting their performance at work.
What is Stress? There are two definitions: Stress is what you experience when you believe you cannot cope effectively with a threatening situation. Stress is created when your mind overrides the body s basic desire to choke the living daylights out of some idiot who desperately deserves it. You Choose!
How Stress Feeds on Itself Prolonged exposure to stress can affect the hippocampus (a part of the brain that plays a role in short term memory) and has been linked to cognitive decline. - Dr. Billy, Best Life Magazine
What is your Stress Level? Take the Test
Where Does it Come From? 10 signs that you are stressed at work
What s Causing Your Stress? A survey of men conducted by a North Carolina market research firm found the following: Planning one s financial future: 52% Job/Career: 50% Keeping family safe: 48% Worrying about your children s success: 45% Health-care costs: 40% Aggressive drivers: 40% Influence of peers on children: 33% Balancing work and family: 30% Quality of your children s diets: 30% Your state of health: 29%
Work Stress: The 10 Signs You re often irritable Your having trouble concentrating You re tired all the time You ve lost your sense of humor You get into more arguments than you used to
10 Signs continued. You get less done You get sick more often You care less about your work Getting out of bed on a workday morning is a major effort You have less interest outside of work
What s Triggering Your Work Stress? Work overload (too much to do) Work underload (too little to do) Poor work environment Long hours Lack of positive feedback Job insecurity
Triggers continued. Problems with boss or management Problems with coworkers Lousy pay for what you do Lots of pressure to perform Lack of control over the work process
Identify What You Can Change Before You Get to Work: Start your workday unstressed Overcome Sunday night stress Calm your commute Let s take a more detailed look..
Start Your Workday Unstressed Go to Bed: Arriving at work tired is one sure way to guarantee that the day is not going to be one of your best. Get Up a Tad Earlier: Will ensure you are not rushing to get out the door. Eat Breakfast: Studies show that people who do not eat breakfast more often report feelings of fatigue and stress during the day. Workout Before You Shower: If you can manage it, getting some physical exercise works.
Overcome Sunday Night Stress Go to Bed a Little Early Sunday Night: Many people find their Sunday night the worst sleep of the week. Avoid Eating That Late-night Heartburn Special: This is guaranteed to keep you up until Wednesday. Plan Something Fun for Sunday Night: This will distract your worry over Monday. Don t Schedule Something Bad for Monday: Save the bad for Tuesday.
Calm Your Commute Practice Some Auto Relaxation: When caught in traffic or at a light stretch your muscles. Beat the Crowd: Leaving a little early or a little late can make a big difference. Amuse Yourself: Daydream, listen to music/talk radio, audio books. If riding public transportation bring something to read or just people watch..there is always an amusing sight to behold!
Identify What You Can Change At Work Letting go of tension Quieting your mind Getting organized Finding more time Eating, exercising and getting sleep
Letting Go of Tension Mind over body: Use the power of suggestion on you own body to force it to relax. Find a quite spot and tray a few simple exercises. With every breath you take: Your breath is fine, it s you breathing that s bad! Try breathing slowly and deeply. Stretching it Away: Practice some office yoga or do some simple stretching exercise throughout the day.
Quieting Your Mind Stop your thoughts: When worrisome thoughts enter your brain, mentally step back and recognize that it is an unwanted thought and clear your mind. Some people use meditation. Everything is not a catastrophe: Stop making a molehill into a mountain. Ask, How important is it really? and Will I remember this event in 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days or even 3 hours? Can t-stand-it-itis: Do you really can t stand or hate something or do you just not like it. There is a big difference. Quit over-reacting to stuff. Stop what-if-ing: STOP worrying about stuff that has not happened!
Quieting Your Mind Mind Reading and Conclusion-Jumping: There are simply times you do not have enough information to make an informed decision.wait until you do! Curb Unrealistic Expectations: If your expectations are out of whack it is a pretty sure bet you will overreact to a stressful situation. Stop Self-rating: The problem starts when you feel you have to be perfect, you must be successful, and everybody has to like you..snap out of it!
Getting Organized Clear away the clutter: Schedule time for it, work at it and determine what your clutter threshold is and never exceed it. Lose the paper trail: You will either merge it or purge it. Create a file system and keep important papers where you know they are safe. Keeping your life organized: If the roof leaks stop trying to figure out where to put the buckets fix the roof. Rather than trying to figure out strategy to less complicate your life catch the problem at the source and fix it.
Finding More Time Manage your time: Take the survey.do you need an overhaul? Know where the time goes: An important step in changing the way you manage your time is becoming aware of how you use your time. Define your priorities: Figure out what you want to spend more time or less time doing. Work from a To-Do list where each item has an assigned priority. The Art of Delegation: If someone else can do the job delegate it to them..you do not have to do everything. Overcoming Procrastination: Pull a John Wayne.just bite the bullet and do it. Get the bad stuff over and out of the way; you will feel better.
Eating, Exercising, and Getting Sleep Stop feeding your stress: Foods that make you feel good are not usually good for you..watch what you eat. Think activity rather than exercise: It is not exercise it is activity. Find the time each day to participate in some type of physical activity. Getting quality sleep: Most people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep a night for optimal health and performance. Experiment and find your optimal sleep time.
Stress Relievers The same study by the North Carolina marketing research firm found that men choose the following to reduce stress: Taking a mental break: 64% Fun and laughter: 44% Exercise:43% Sex: 42% Eating:41% Drinking:31% Prioritizing (and deciding what can remain undone): 29% Smoking: 22% Prayer or meditation: 22%
Where Do You Start? Identify what your stressors are. For each one ask, Do I have control over it? If not.let IT GO. Make time for yourself.it is OK. Connect with others. Having people you can talk to, complain to, cry with, and laugh with represent important stress buffers in your life. It may be your family or friends. Try to gain balance. You work to live not live to work.
Conclusion Comments and Questions
Words of Wisdom from the Dalai Lama If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it is not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.