The stress ball apparatus is no longer working for you this time of year. You see everyone getting into the season’s mood and you are thinking “how am I going to wrap up everything so that I don’t have to stress over the holidays?” This is the time for giving and relaxing….not for stressing and freaking out. Although some short periods of stress is good for things like performance, too much ongoing stress can be very dangerous and even life threatening. At The Mindspa Institute we assist in developing courses in soft skills training to deal with stress and time management successfully.
As the year-end draws closer, the deadlines get tighter. Businesses want to finalize and tie up loose ends. Expectation from top management increases because targets need to be achieved to carry everyone through the holidays, but also because of bonuses etc. This is also usually a time when managers sit down and plan the next 6-12months in strategic sessions, putting strain on the time available. Come on get it together, focus, calm down and take time to read about these stress busters.
- Route of the problem – determine what causes the stress. If you simply don’t have enough time to complete your workload, make sure you prioritize different tasks at hand, delegate to your team to handle some and postponed unimportant things to a later stage. If bad office politics are stressing you out, listen, talk and figure out a win-win strategy. Home stress should be resolved with a lot of openness and communication and try determining how to rectify situation.
- Avoid unnecessary ‘to-dos’ – before adding to your workload this busy time of year, think why it needs to be completed before your holiday? What will happen if you leave it for next year? Is it not something that might benefit from being tackled by a fresh-well rested you come the new year?
- Stay positive – when you don’t want to go to work in the morning, have you ever tried naming all the things you are grateful for while making your first cup of Joe? Try it! You will feel positive and grateful, giving you energy and motivation to tackle the work stress. If you stay positive and motivated, you will easily get everything done on your to do list.
- Make time for yourself – although this is a busy time of the year, you are but human. You need winding down time and quality me-time. Make sure you are living a healthy well balanced life with good eating habits. Make sure you at least do something you enjoy once a day. You are allowed breaks during working hours, so take them. You will be surprised at how many people actually work much faster, focused and better after a small break.
- Stress-busting emergency button – when the stress levels are high in the office, a small thing like a cold ruthless email can press that stress button and flip your lid in a mere second. When this happens, make a conscious mind shift to calm yourself. Don’t answer the email in anger, leave your desk and go outside, breath or even count. Reflect on the situation and think. Calmly rationalize the situation and think of positive ways to respond.
Even the holiday season is tough. This time of year, all you want to do is lie on a beach, sunbathing and think of nothing more than what our next meal is going to be. Don’t let stress influence your health and quality time with your family. Navigate your stress wisely.