Thank Goodness It's Monday #379

STRESS!!!

HERE ARE A DOZEN QUICK-READING WAYS

TO GET THE BETTER OF IT

 

“Stress can be your worst enemy -- or your best friend."

That’s a bit of so-called “advice” I suspect you’ll find in the early going if you plop a phrase such as “Stress Management” into your search engine of choice.

 

That’s what I came up with straight out of the box.

Arrrgh! Thanks a lot for that gratuitous input. And just what action do you recommend to accomplish the mental judo that flips a stressor over to Good Buddy status?

No answer is forthcoming. Or, worse in some ways, was web-centric advice that suggested, “Write a stress management business plan ….” 

More arrrgh! If I had the time, the inclination and the wherewithal to write a stress management business plan -- then I probably wouldn’t be feeling so stressed!

So here’s the deal. Since I was finding the world-wide search for answers was only creating more stress, I opted for another tack. I picked up the phone and rang up folks in my circle who I felt might have ideas worth knowing. 

The results: Not necessarily genius, but stuff certainly worth knowing and reviewing. So I’m going to share with you a dozen of the ideas other executives and entrepreneurs told me they use to break tension and maybe even make stress work for them. (BTW: No one bought the “stress as your best friend” premise.)

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Pick and choose what you suspect might work for you. Keep in mind that’s what’s most stressful for one individual may be “nothing” to another and that the solutions may not be equally effective for everyone.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Add the ones you think might work for you to your toolkit. Review the list from time to time for methods that may apply as circumstances change. Share as appropriate.

Here, in a makes-some-kind-of-sense-to-me order are a dozen for your consideration:

► Maintain your sense of humor. Jokes, humor and funny anecdotes can be the antidote for stress-inflaming tension. The entrepreneur who shared this added, “If stress burned calories, I’d be a supermodel.” I was feeling less stressed already.

►Never be a martyr. Treat a problem not as something that’s being done to you, but as something you can do something about. Then get to doing, well, something … almost anything … about it.

 

►Stay curious. Face the stressful unknown with adventuresome curiosity, seeking to minimize apprehension. Greater knowledge and understanding can minimize anxiety.

►Stop worrying. (No, and not “Be Happy.”) Point here is, if you’re stressed at work but at all suited to your position, you really don’t have a great deal to worry about most of the time. And on the rare occasions when worry may seem justified, remind yourself that you can function – I dunno – let’s say at least twice as well without the undue stress. So give yourself that advantage.

►Respect yourself. (This is related in a way to “Stop worrying.”) Modesty and a certain amount of humility are to be preferred to braggadocio, but don’t sell yourself short. When you feel stressed in the quest for success, review all that you’ve accomplished so far, then determine that you will not be dissuaded from future success.

►Prioritize. Structure your day so you accomplish the most important things early, and don’t try to handle more than is possible in one day. When feasible, try to tackle tough jobs right away, rather than waiting for them to build up to the point where you have to rush and feel stressed out.

►Have confidence in associates. While you can’t delegate stress, you can reduce it by remembering that, having picked the right people for the right posts, you can count on them to do their best to bring a stressful situation to the best possible conclusion.

►Don’t face it alone. Talking it over helps knock fears and anxieties down to defeatable size. (I knew that. It’s why, in part, in the search for de-stress strategies, I called folks who are inclined to be supportive.)

►Organize. Stress often stems from the chaos of disorganization. Being organized introduces elements of predictability and control. When you’re in control, stress is reduced.

►Take frequent breaks. Especially in a creative environment “the pause that refreshes” (anyone else remember that advertising slogan?) is one way to minimize stress. The breaks don’t have to be long, but they can be real stress busters. And odds are, a five-minute break isn’t going to diminish performance or add significantly to, say, a project’s completion time.

►Eat to win. Eat light lunches; heavy food makes you lethargic. Go easy on the booze; it’s a depressant. Reduce caffeine; sure it might jazz you up but too much coffee or caffeine-loaded, high-fructose-corn syrup soda can make you unable to take the daily pressure in a natural stride.

►Get rest. Stress and lack of rest are coupled together with the frequency of peanut butter and jelly. Lack of rest can turn ordinary molehills into Himalayas of stress. No one can run the business marathon – or life’s marathon – day in and day out and expect to win without adequate rest. Pay attention to the need for rest, and heed its warning.

Remember, these ACTION IDEAS come from folks who are NOT physicians, psychologists, or therapists, so this isn’t “professional” advice. But these strategies do stem from real life experience in the real business world.

Take it easy in the days ahead. And if you can’t, apply some of the above. And if that’s not helpful, hope we’ll better inspire you next Monday.  

Geoff Steck   
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P. S. In the spirit of the first item how about a few more not-too-serious quotable thoughts about stress?

·         “Stressed is desserts spelled backwards.”

·         “Stress: The confusion created when one's mind overrides the body's basic desire to choke the living daylights out of some jerk who desperately deserves it.”

·         “Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven't fallen asleep yet.”

·         “God didn't do it all in one day.  What makes me think I can?”

And, for a big (literally) finish:

·          "Cheer up, the worst is yet to come. Quit worrying over the little stuff and wait for something really big."