Speaker: Dr. Bruce Wells - Managing Stress in the Workplace
Bruce gave the Club a mini workshop of his presentation. He summarised stress as that sinking feeling we all get! You know you are stressed if you have the following:
Physical signs
- Hypertension, lethargy and/or overeating
- Headaches, ulcers or backaches
- Constipation, frequent colds or rashes
Psychological signs
- Short fuse, mood swings or being withdrawn
- Depression, defensive or loss of self-esteem
- Tearful, irritable or sensitive to criticism
Behavioral signs
- Lower output, disorganised or decreased loyalty
- Absences, no humour or turnover of staff
- Workaholic, waking tired or problems with relationships
What can you do about it? Firstly take 2 slow deep breaths, secondly, identify the stressor and thirdly, manage your stress. Go to www.stretchclock.com.au, download the program to your computer and set your preferred intervals.
Bruce described the process of abdominal breathing. Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Slowly breath in through your nose counting to five while filling all the way down into your stomach. Then slowly breathe out through your nose while counting to five.
Some examples of good and bad stressors?
- Being laid off
- Minor back injury
- Deadlines
- Company merger
- Having to attend a workshop
- Second marriage
- Unexpected job promotion
- School holidays
- Buying your first house
- A new boss
Rule #1. Your perception of the situation is what makes stress good or bad so ……Change your thoughts and change your stress. Beware of assumptions like the buzzing alarm clock that turned out to be a truck backing into your living room!
Rule #2. If you can control the stressor then change it. If not ……you must change yourself (emotions, thoughts) If you CANNOT control the stressor … Option 1. Manage your emotions
Make physical health a top priority
- Aerobic exercise every other day
- Mindfulness time-outs daily
- Never skip meals
- 6-8 hours sleep
- Lifestyle exercise in workplace
Create your own positive environment
- Hang around optimists
- Cultivate your friendships
- Find ways to help others each day
- Be with people who value you as you are
Option 2. Manage your thoughts and be your own best fan
- Rediscover your passion for your work
- See stressor as a challenge, not a threat
- Remind yourself of the pay-off
- Will this matter in a week’s time?
- How can I benefit from this?
- Laugh each and every day
- Learn to focus on the positives
If you would like to see one of Bruce’s corporate workshops follow the link http://www.youtube.com/user/BWellDr