5 ways to reset and reduce stress at work

Stress is the reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed upon them. Is it a common problem within your team?

Published in Thriveglobal.com

Stress arises when they worry that they can’t cope. Continuous changes, some expected, some unexpected, make us feel uncomfortable. An increase in vulnerability and decrease of power make us feel worried and therefore stressed.

Einstein would say that everything is relative. And talking about stress, this is 100% true, yes or no?

 Think about it. How many things are stressful for your husband or wife, and not for you? The clothes you are going to wear for the next gala, your kid’s birthday? What kind of things are stressful to you and not to your supervisor?

The problem here is that whenever you are stressed, for whatever reason, it impacts your work, productivity and overall happiness.

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Einstein would also say that problems couldn’t be solved with the same level of consciousness that created them. So you have to think differently. You have to be prepared.

It is not only about what happens in your life, that you cannot always control, but how you deal with it. Managing stress is all about managing yourself, becoming the hero in your life, not a victim.

The way you manage yourself has to do with your habits, your daily routines, how you usually react to unexpected events.  You can train your mind and body to react in a certain way that is more productive and satisfying for you. Through time, the better you manage different situations you become better in the next situation. Though let me tell you it will not be easy.  You really start managing stress not at the particular time of the stress, but way before It happens.

Remember, is all about your routine. So let’s talk about the habits that you want to incorporate in your daily life and within your team to improve performance and have more joy at work.

• Relax: calm your mind breathing deeply
• Enjoy: see the bright side in everything
• Simplify: only keep what you need
• Exercise: turn thoughts into actions
• Thank: appreciate what you receive

 

Relax: calm your mind breathing deeply

As you noticed in the exercise Stress activates the body fly or fight response, so blood pressure and heart rate go up. Hormones like epinephrine and cortisol are released into our bloodstream. (Monitor and manage your stress level for top performance, by Judith Ross, Harvard Management Update)  In the short-term focus memory and creativity are improved. However, once stress exceeds a certain threshold, then your performance decreases. If you have to speak in public, you are out of breath. If you have to make a quick decision, your heart rate is too high to let you think clearly, you are just trying to escape. You are so stressed, that you cannot even realize you are under stress, so you cannot think of how to overcome this.

How? You just have to establish a daily routine when you invoke the relaxation response, that is a state of profound rest that can be elicited by meditation, yoga, and progressive muscle relaxation. This helps you calm your mind and be under control. Learning a relaxation response is not instant, it takes some time, so that’s why you need to start practicing before you need it. The good thing is that you can do this everywhere, anytime, no additional cost! Now you are under control.

Enjoy: see the bright side in everything and celebrate it

Once you are under control of your body, you are better capable of choosing your thoughts, they can be positive or negative. Employees start thinking negatively when they feel fear of an unexpected outcome.

Help yourself and your team start and finish the day seeing yourself doing a good job. Avoid thinking just about what went wrong, or having negative expectations about the future. Avoid counterproductive thinking, that is a constant rumination in your mind about what went or could go wrong. Notice the present, what has been done, enjoy it and celebrate it.

Every time you finish an important task, like a presentation to a client, think about what went wrong, write how to correct it n the future. But also think about what went well. Be balanced on how you criticize yourself. If you think about it, there is always a good side and bad side to everything, it’s all up to you how you want to see it. The Netflix Movie “about time” captures this thinking wonderfully.

Simplify: only keep what you need

For sure the main excuse at this point will be that you don’t
have time to breathe, relax or enjoy. So how do you make up for more time? You make your work life simple. Check your desk, your office, your wallet, your purse, your mailbox! How many things do you see that you don’t need? How many of them bother you or distract you? How many of them keep you busy in exchange for nothing really rewarding?

Reduce if you have too many

Eliminate if you don’t need it

Move out if it may be useful
somewhere else

Just review your daily routine and eliminate all the waste
you see every day, focus only on what matters.

I always use the 5S methodology to help me out with this: Sort out what you don’t need, store and label what you need, in a way it can shine looking like brand new. Standardize the process with signs or pictures to help everyone else keep it that way, and sustain the effort by respecting the rules you defined every single day, no exceptions.

Recommended training: 5S workshop in Houston

Exercise: turn thoughts into actions

The fourth habit is about turning thoughts into actions. Sometimes it is hard for us to manage our thoughts, they just come and go, even when we are trying to breathe and focus. Turning thoughts using a flipchart to
think and write together is a wonderful tool. Empowerment is not about just saying you will work together, but actually sharing information and stressful situations, and finding solutions as a team. If ideas don’t flow yet, team building or outdoor activities also help.  It helps me a lot to go to exercise. Engage in an activity that calms you such as walking, running, or cooking. The more challenging the activity the better. When you have to concentrate on your body movements, you don’t let your problems affect your emotions. As the Mayo Clinic put it, it is like meditation in motion. It helps you not only exchange new oxygen but also pump up endorphins that help you improve your mood.  You’ll often find that you’ve forgotten the day’s irritations and concentrated only on your body’s movements. In the past companies wouldn’t allow employees to exercise during work hours, but now is becoming an accepted practice, and it is even promoted by HR.

Thank: appreciate what you receive

As I mentioned earlier, Stress is the reaction people have to excessive demand placed upon them. Sometimes it is because they are not sure if they can cope with it, or sometimes they just fear the outcome. If every time employees finish a project, they fear your response to it, for sure the whole project will be a source of stress. Make sure you make a routine to review the project in various stages to avoid surprises at the end and thank your team for the effort in public. Remember that if the outcome is bad, is probably part of your fault as well, maybe the goals were not clear enough. So share both the bad news and the good news, but especially share the rewards. Rewards come in different forms: smiles, thank you notes, certificates, bonus, days off, you name it. As a leader, the reward I cherish the most is when a team member enjoyed the project and is ready to start the next one. Just before going to bed, include in the routine a moment to thank for what you have received during the day. Could be a work accomplishment, or could be a simple hug from your daughter, just try to think about anything that made you feel happy during the day. Thank yourself, eyes closed and in a meditation position. If you don’t have anything to thank for, you are being too hard on yourself. Think again. You may get any ideas during that session, write them down. Keep a journal next to your bed. Write down all the ideas that you have in mind. Spend more time thinking about what went fine, and finish the session with a smile in your face.

Establish a Routine

Follow every day the same night routine, just like babies do.
Always at the same time, in order to enhance the sense of ritual and establish a habit. If you practice it every day, it will be easier through time, so you will be able to enjoy the routine, as well as your other tasks to accomplish. If you are not enjoying, go back to square 1!

@lupaulise

luciana@biztorming.com