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Stress |
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(Time to read this article: 9 minutes) "Global financial crisis!", "world business slowdown!", "international banking collapse!", if you haven't been pummelled by the doom and gloom merchants over the last couple of months, you must have been on Mars! So, how is all of this negativity affecting you? Boiling Mad?
About CamelsLike our frog story, the saying "the straw that broke the camel's back" refers to the last tiny, little, incy, wincy item which, when added to the cumulative load of myriad other small items that went before it, exceeds the limit of the camels strength, and breaks its back. Of course, there are many lesser degrees of stress which may merely make you unhappy, debilitated or catatonic but, hey, I did not set out to depress you - I just wanted your attention so that I could share some good news with you! 10 Second Stress TestFirst, let's find out whether you are in hot water in the first place - that is, if you're stressed at all. This test is very quick and easy: Touch your neck with the fingertips of both hands.
How Stressed?Next, let's find out just how hot your water is right now, and how many straws you have accumulated on your back from the simple process of living for the last two years. For each of the following major life events which have taken place in your life during the last 24 months, transfer the relevant "Weight" into the "Your Score" column, then total your stress burden. If an event occurred more than once, add a multiple of its weight to your score.
Your ScoreYou'll notice some surprising entries in the list (birth of a child; vacation; Christmas - I recall an article from last year in which we found that men can be more stressed by Christmas shopping than by battle!) they all create some degree of stress, and all add to our ultimate stress burden. So, here's how the scores go:
What Does Your Score Mean?This is the funny part. Some camels have stronger backs than others and so a fatal load for one can be a light workout for another, but . . . there is no denying the cumulative nature of a stress burden, and it would be foolish to ignore a 'medium' or 'high' reading here. In fact, if you're in anything but the "low" range, it would be healthy to take a look through the following "Stress Management Techniques" and to adopt those that suit your nature and lifestyle as sensible preventative measures, and as positive additions to your lifestyle. How Stress Affects Our BodiesStress is an unavoidable and, to a large degree, potentially positive force in our lives. Like all forces, the art lies in learning to manage the force to our advantage rather than to allow ourselves to be its passive victim.
Controlling StressYou have the choice of managing stress "on the way in" or "on the way out". On the way in: The only successful method of pre-emptively controlling stress, is to have a positive outlook - a positive philosophy or understanding of how the world works, and what your place is in the scheme of things. It is never important what happens to you; it is always important how you choose to understand and interpret it. So: Cultivate a Positive Mental Attitude, and develop a meaningful philosophy. For example, if you were to view Life as "a challenging learning process, which carries a guarantee that you will never be challenged beyond your means" you might find that you welcome change and challenge, and look about within your own resources for the means that you know must be there to meet it. When faced with any challenging event, the healthiest discipline you can ever adopt is to vividly imagine yourself having overcome it before you even start to tackle it! Always be aware of the basic fact that if you are healthy, fit and physically strong, you will always cope with and dissipate the effects of stress better than if you were not. So, one simple, effective and risk-free strategy to adopt whenever your stress level starts to rise, is to set about becoming healthier, fitter and stronger. So: Cultivate a Positive Physical State, and react less to stress in the first place. On the way out: Your body's normal reaction to stress is, in purely physiological terms, an "extreme" reaction consisting, among other things, of the injection of a number of natural chemical stimulants into your bloodstream. These substances are mildly toxic to your system and their by-products are even more so, but your body is designed to flush them during the severe physical activity (the fight or flight) that they are intended to induce. Since our current society induces stress but does not sanction violent physical responses (or even permit us to run away from many of the situations we face), we must create opportunities that allow our body to purge the stress by-products. You can do this in two ways:
The Best StrategyThe best results for most people come from a "triple antigen" strategy of:
For more information on saving your quality of life (and maybe your life) click to receive our 12-Step Stress Cure template. |
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Lowering Stress At Work |
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(Time to read this article: 8 minutes) If you're a boss, there may be strong value for you in reading and applying this. If you're one of the troops, the real value will be in passing this to your boss, and asking to discuss it! Protect and Grow Small Courtesies
What would be the likely consequences (I don't mind you thinking "pay-offs" here) of you and your team creating a deliberate focus on raising the level of good manners, politeness and real attention to the needs of others among themselves and then directing that outwards, as a deliberate and conscious policy to customers, suppliers and other business associates? I think it would: r Make no difference r Make little difference r Make a big difference Protect and Grow SecurityYou and your team would not be human if you were not affected by the constant wash of negativity that the press barons cynically generate to fuel news sales. Fearful, nervous and insecure people do not work well. They don't cope with stress well, they don't concentrate well, they don't relate well, and they don't sell well (there's a proven direct correlation between optimism and sales performance)! Research repeatedly shows that when times are tough, employees don't want to be "falsely comforted" with platitudes or empty assurances. In fact, management who take such an approach are seen as either cynical liars (they think we're fools) or incompetent idiots (we think they're fools!) No, they want to be told the truth of the situation, however tough that may be, and then be told the plan for handling that situation. Once they understand the challenge, the risks and the plan, they are far more likely to dig deep and do whatever is asked of them to push the business through any tough spot. So the question for all leaders is: What are you doing to balance the negative press with accurate positive information about the current status of your business and the market in which it operates, and with a positive plan of action that challenges and engages your team, providing them with the opportunity to step up and help? I think: r I'm doing enough r I could do more r I've not done enough Go Back to BasicsChallenging times provide a good reason to go back to basics on everything in the business and to ask fundamental questions about every aspect of what you are doing. Engaging your team in solving the problems may not directly lower their stress, though gaining control of your fate often does just that. So, here are a few questions you might like to try with your team:
On our basics: r We're on song r We're reviewing them now r Haven't a clue! Communicate More OftenWhen times are tough any vacuum in the information channel will be instantly filled by negatively-charged gossip. Gossip left unattended can become self-generating. So, there is no better time to look at your meeting regime as your primary means of conveying information throughout the business. Don't rely on emails, as they are a blunt instrument and can actually fan an issue rather than put it out, so here's a suggested timetable of meetings:
In the absence of positive communication, fear fills the void. On communications we rate: r Very good r Need improvement r Lousy |
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Christmas De-stress Program |
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(Time to read this article: 2 minutes - and worth it!)
If that is even slightly like you, what could you do differently this year to make your 2008/9 break one to be remembered? One to be savoured for months afterwards, sustaining you well into your new working year? De-stress CandidatesIn your break could you plan so as to:
So, would that make it a Merrier Christmas? |
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Thoughts On The Subject Of Stress And Challenges |
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(Time to read this article: 1 minute)
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On the Lighter Side |
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When you get home, lock your doors, draw the drapes, and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed during your therapy. Change to very comfortable clothing, such as a sweat suit and lie down on your bed. Open the package containing the thermometer and remove the thermometer and carefully place it on the bedside table so that it will not become chipped or broken. Take the written material that accompanies the thermometer and as you read it you will notice in small print the statement that 'Every rectal thermometer made by Q-Tip is personally tested'. Now close your eyes and say out loud five times, 'I am so glad that I do not work in quality control at the Q-Tip Company.' |
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David Perrott
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