How we manage stress and wellbeing at work has become increasingly topical over the years and is now recognised as a key to improving productivity and performance.
In 2006, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the U.S. reported:
40% of employees believe their jobs are “very” or “extremely” stressful, and at least 26% of employees feel “burned out at work” (NIOSH 2006).
In 1994, it was reported that approximately 50% of all absences from work are said to be related to unhealthy work environments or stress (Cooper 1994). Now we’re facing a new problem of ‘presenteeism’, which is when employees come to work but are unable to perform at full capacity due to stress and an imbalance of wellbeing (Grawitch 2017).
We have a problem and we need to fix it.
Stress is something we all experience, I know I do. It is something that I certainly find uncomfortable from time to time and something I have worked on for many years to learn how to deal with better.
Here are four simple ways to help manage it.
1. Reframe – when we get stressed, we generally feel a lack or loss of control over our environment or what’s happening in it. We all respond to our environment and the things that happen in it differently. While one person may find walking on a narrow ledge or tight rope one hundred meters up in the air exhilarating, another person could find it extremely overwhelming to the point that they are frozen with fear.
How we react to stress depends largely on our nature, upbringing, learned behaviours, thoughts, feelings, and how we perceive the various stress inducing situations we find ourselves in.
Ultimately, we are responsible for how we respond to a situation. Try to practice how you can look at a situation differently; ask yourself how someone you admire would look at and respond if they were in the same situation.
2. Balance your Wellbeing Ecosystem – look at the Seven Aspects of Wellbeing and note where you are out of balance –
Social
Intellectual
Financial
Occupational
Emotional
Spiritual
Physical
Commit to making changes to level this balance, however small.
If you change only one thing, like going for a 20-minute walk after work every day, you’ll feel better and I assure you there will be a flow on affect from this.
Maybe it’s time to think about buying a dog, then you’ll have a purpose for going for a walk.
Research shows that owning and loving a dog can add 10 years to your life (Hawkins 2009).
3. Disconnect from technology - In many ways, France is leading the way in this regard with the passing of the “right to disconnect” law in January 2017.
France recognised that accessibility to technology outside office hours was creating an imbalance between work and personal lives as workers were constantly checking emails and working well in excess of their 9-5 jobs.
In Australia, we may not have a law in place giving us the right to disconnect from technology after work hours, but we need to acknowledge the impact technology is having on our lives.
We now work harder and longer than many other countries in the world. We fail to disconnect and have less time for family and social activities.
We need to find our own individual optimal performance balance. Build some technology free relaxation time into your life. Enjoy the beauty your country has to offer. Enjoy the good company of friends and family.
4. Practice Mindfulness – Mindfulness is a form of self-awareness training where we bring ourselves into the present and focus on only one thing without engaging in any other activities – no reading, no TV, no radio, no talking.
When we eat we simply eat – smell the smells, taste the tastes, experience the textures, be totally absorbed in the act of eating.
When we walk we walk – hear the sounds, see the colours, notice the changes of light, feel the wind on our faces, our feet touching the path - Don’t Think, Just Notice.
To help you get started, you may wish to buy a mindfulness colouring in book– the same rules apply: no radio, no TV, no talking, simply be absorbed in the act of colouring in.
As you progress you may then wish to try mindfulness meditation – you can do this anywhere, anytime - while waiting in a queue, sitting on a train. Give it a go, it’s easy once you get the hang of it.
If you are feeling the effects of stress or overwhelm know that you can do something about it. Take control, reframe it, make changes to your wellbeing ecosystem, start an exercise program, learn some coping strategies or consider seeing your GP and getting a referral to a counsellor, therapist or wellbeing specialist to help.
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