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Stress Less Now!

November 5, 2006 By Michele Woodward Leave a Comment


Stress has come to be seen as a fact of modern life. But stress can be managed – and even eliminated!

First, understand what stress is. The clinical definition of stress is feeling as though you lack the tools to do what’s been asked of you. You may lack the tool of time, or of money, or of knowledge, or of support. But always with stress, there is a tool you need and feel you don’t have.

There are three kinds of stress: (1) Situational stress, like being stuck in a traffic jam; (2) Chronic stress, like dealing with a long-term illness, and (3) Traumatic stress, like dealing with an accident, death or marital separation. Understanding the type of stress you’re facing will help you deal with it most effectively.

There are several stress factors to take into account. Feelings of inadequacy, performance anxiety, competition, control issues, financial problems, being hurried, and – the big kahuna – what other people might think. All of these factors add to stress.

Most of the time, unresolved stress manifests itself in the body. Often, our first clue that we’re stressed is a weird feeling in our bodies. Under stress, humans get high blood pressure, upset stomachs, headaches, sleeplessness and fail to eat right. Humans are, afterall, animals – and sometimes our bodies give us messages before our brains register there’s a problem.

That’s why it’s important to Notice, Narrow and Name. Notice that there is a weird feeling in the body. Narrow down its causes. Name the cause. Here’s an example: You’re driving along and suddenly traffic stops. There’s an accident ahead. You drum your fingers on the steering wheel. Your heart rate starts to rise as you consider being late for work. Your head starts to pound as a result of your heart rate. NOTICE your headache and rapid pulse. NARROW it down – why is this happening? NAME it: I am anxious because I am going to be late. Is there a solution? Why, yes! I can call the office and do the meeting by conference call.

Once you NAME it, you can ask these questions: Can I eliminate the stress factor? Can I do it another time? Can someone else do it? Is it really stressful, or am I just making it that way? That last question is a toughie and can be re-stated as “Am I being a drama queen/king?”

Control issues are often a big factor in stress. Byron Katie, author of Loving What Is says it’s important to know whether the stressor is “my business, your business or God’s business.” If it’s your business, attend to it. However, if it’s someone else’s business, it certainly isn’t yours. And some issues are best left to the Universe to solve. You can save a lot of time and energy – and stress less – by asking whether getting engaged in a situation is really your business.

A great way to deal with stress is to change your thinking. You can Reframe the situation: did he mean to insult me with that gift, or was he just not thinking? Being Positive is also a key method to reduce stress. If you always see the glass as half empty, your pessimistic attitude will color your life experiences. Try seeing the world positively.

Avoiding Group Think is another key tactic. If everyone in the office grouses about this supervisor, that executive, that mailroom clerk – it brings the group down. Simple solution? Don’t participate. Office gossip is one of the largest stressors in modern work. Don’t play.

Many of us operate under a slew of “shoulds” – “I SHOULD be more successful”, “I SHOULD stay late”, “I SHOULD stab my co-workers in the back and walk over their bleeding carcasses to further my career.”

Shoulds, however, limit us and often fail to reflect our own values. Instead, they often reflect the values of others – our parents, our siblings, our friends, neighbors, the Joneses, the girl down the hall.

Replacing SHOULD with CHOOSE is a great way to lessen their negative impact. How empowering to say, “I CHOOSE to stay late” than “I SHOULD stay late.”

Accepting reality will help reduce stress. Often, we spend time and energy wishing things were different than they are. Accepting that your co-workers are human and make mistakes, or that some people are unreasonable, or even that some people have addictions and problems they aren’t able to address – all add up to less stress for you. If you can adopt a forgiving attitude and accept what’s real, you will go a long way toward a more peaceful life.

Remember, what you resist persists. If you are a procrastinator, you can create stress for yourself. Stuff you don’t want to do doesn’t go away. It just gets harder and harder to deal with. So, break icky jobs down into small parts. Baby steps are still steps forward. Prioritize, and plan ahead and you can make procrastination a thing of the past.

There are some easy things you can do to relieve stress in the moment. You can take a moment when you feel stressed and meditate, pray or find a still place. Remember to breathe. In fact, studies have shown that managing your breath is a sure-fire way to quickly reduce your stress. For more on this, see Dr. Andrew Weil’s work on breath.

Studies have also shown that having friends is a remedy for stress. If you have someone you can call in a stressful moment, you will find relief. A circle of friends and a range of interests help diffuse stress.

The best thing you can do to combat stress is to take care of yourself. Eat right, get enough sleep and exercise, take your medications just as the doctor prescribed them, get regular check-ups, reward your own good behavior. If you value yourself, you start from a very powerful place when it comes to dealing with stress.

If you feel time-deprived, a good exercise is to keep a Time Diary. For a day, or a week, or a month, keep track of how you allocate your time and energy. Review your diary to see if you are using your time to further your own values, or whether your time is squandered living other people’s shoulds. You may find that you have more time than you thought – it’s just a matter of how you use it.

Stress may not be avoidable – but it is manageable. Adopting even a few of these tips and tools will help you reduce your stress level. Promise.

Filed Under: Career Coaching, Happier Living Tagged With: stress management

Context is Everything

October 31, 2006 By Michele Woodward Leave a Comment


Here’s a handy little idea to reduce your general frustration and stress level. And who wouldn’t like that?? Ever find other people who really get on your nerves? Of course you do, you’re human! You know folks are getting on your nerves when you ask yourself, “Why is she SO slow?” in the grocery checkout line, or at the intersection, “The light is GREEN! Why won’t he GO?” Or, the pernicious stress of “She didn’t even say hi in the hallway. Is she mad at me? Or just stuck-up?”

Notice what these examples have in common? We’re judging what the other person’s thinking…and taking the logical leap that they aren’t thinking the way we are (so they must be wrong). Of course we’re right and the other guy’s wrong! Really? The truth is this: We never know what someone else is thinking, or doing, or dealing with unless they tell us.

Imagine, will you, that the woman at the grocery store who is so slow is actually doing quite well considering the stroke she had six months ago. Would you still be so impatient if you knew that, or would you give her a break — realizing she’s doing the very best she can? At the stoplight — the minute the light turns green and you go ballistic — what if you knew the other driver was delaying because he was trying to help his choking child in the backseat? Would you still be so impatient? And the woman who didn’t say hi? Would you take that perceived snub differently if you learned that she’d just found out her father’s cancer diagnosis was terminal?

As my dear friend Ashley famously said, after she was widowed in her early 30s, “Once you’ve got something, you find out EVERYONE’S got something!” And it’s true. Everyone has something. And liberation comes when we recognize that the vast majority of us are really doing the best we can given our circumstances.

And it’s not OUR best their doing — it’s unfair to hold them to what we consider “best”. I’ve had so many clients say, “If I put in my best effort, I should get straight As!” or, more judgmentally, “If they only put in their best effort, they would do what I want them to do!” Can you say, “Control Freak?” (Stay tuned: That’s a whole other blog topic!)

What’s the deal with “best effort”? Is the underlying belief: If I put in my best effort, I will definitely succeed? Honey, even if I put in my best effort, I will never go to the NFL Pro Bowl as a linebacker. Ain’t no way. My best there might be Not Getting Killed. My best in any case is mine alone — and yours is yours. It’s all relative. Relative to our skills, strengths, talents and interests, that is.

So here’s what you do: In that very moment when you feel stressed and frustrated with someone else, try taking a step back and saying to yourself, “I have no idea what’s going on in that person’s life, but maybe there’s something I don’t know about — and he’s doing the very best he can.” Bet you this: bet you your stress level goes way, way down.

Filed Under: Clarity, Getting Unstuck Tagged With: control freak, reframing thoughts, stress

October 26, 2006 By Michele Woodward Leave a Comment

Each week, I’ll be writing here on a topic of interest. As an Executive Life Coach, I work everyday with people who question whether they’re in the right job — or the right relationship. They ask how they can have more satisfaction in their lives, how they can be clear on their values and goals, how they can find and live their passions…

I’ll be addressing these things and others — so check back in every Monday for thoughts, tips and resources to help you make the most of your life!

— Michele

https://michelewoodward.com/2006/10/26/3/

Filed Under: Random Thoughts

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